Graziadio School Professor Makes the Case for More Women on Corporate Boards
Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management (Graziadio School) Professor Bernice Ledbetter wrote recently about the benefits and necessities of placing more women on corporate boards.
Addressing the need for shifts in corporate culture, Ledbetter refers to the “massive” discrepancy between the number of women in the workforce and those serving on boards. Of Fortune 500 company board seats, only 19 percent are held by women. During 2014, women held just 16 percent of S&P 500 company board seats.
“Even more startling,” Ledbetter writes in her recent Huffington Post article, “according to a report released earlier this year from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, even if equal proportions of women and men joined boards each year beginning in 2015, it could take more than four decades for women to reach parity.”
Ledbetter goes on to offer practical strategies for changing this culture of disparity. One of these is recognizing the statistical proof behind the benefits of gender equality on corporate boards. According to research by Ledbetter’s colleagues, diversity on corporate boards leads to increased corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance.
Additionally, Ledbetter notes the necessity of transparency, which should be the responsibility of all executives in leadership positions. Honesty about the imbalance in gender representation is necessary if anything is to change.
Another strategy Ledbetter offers is creating change from within. “Current board members need to make a concerted effort to mentor ambitious and talented women.” She points out the efforts of the Graziadio School to create opportunities for women in undergrad and MBA programs to begin their track to the boardroom while still in school. Graziadio will host an upcoming alumni event with alumni in the non-profit sector who will guide these students on their way to achieving equality on boards.
“Events like these are absolutely critical,” she writes. “We need CEOs and top executives to create opportunities to bring more women into these [networks].”
About the Author
Maggie Boccella
Maggie Boccella, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, is a freelance writer, artist and photographer. She has consulted on various film and multimedia projects, and she also serves as a juror for the city's annual LGBTQIA Film Festival.
