Quotas For Women On Corporate Boards The Call For Change In Europe [Paperback]

The debate for higher female representation on corporate boards has become particularly intensive during the recent financial crisis. Scholars advocate that women are more risk-averse, more engaged with longer-term issues and tend to draw more attention to governance and ethics. Thus, it is suggested that due to the behavioural differences between men and women, more gender-balanced boards would have prevented a number of financial collapses. This assertion has triggered more detailed analyses of current statistics for women on boards in the European Union. A number of states have implemented various non-binding measures for improving female representation on boards. This brought them acclaim, yet no discernible results. Should we indeed insist to have gender-balanced boards, we need quotas. Evidence is of strong support.