Gender equality and diversity in leadership roles

While some progress has been made in reducing income inequality around the world, women remain disadvantaged compared to men parity in pay, management and leadership positions. Ensuring gender equality and diversity in corporate boards can help change societal perceptions towards women and, in turn, play an instrumental role in facilitating society-wide progress in socio-economic indicators. The gender gap also affects women’s growth and employment opportunities.

This study undertakes a systematic review of the available international literature published in the last five years, looking into regulations and trends on gender diversity on corporate boards and discrimination in labour force participation. While the scope is global, specific attention has been paid to women’s status in Asian countries. It is found that, despite various regulatory provisions in place in most countries, gender diversity is still considered a tokenism. A global consensus is emerging that a minimum critical number of female representations is 30% of the directors to bring real diversity. Many Asian countries follow this global trend and are attempting to implement national provisions to ensure women’s participation. Among other contributions, the paper also reflects on the impact of these policy and regulatory changes on corporate climate at the global level and recommends steps for increased diversity and reducing gender gaps at all levels.