A crib sheet for getting more women leaders

WOMEN'S representation in leadership and leadership roles, especially on corporate boards, matters a great deal. Research shows that the presence of three or more women on boards is positively correlated with stronger organisational health, better decision making, corporate governance and financial performance, and greater diversity of thought; there is also a closer match between companies and customers and a broader base of leadership and talent.

Yet in Singapore, as in many other places, progress towards gender equality on corporate boards has been a long, slow crawl. More than half of Singapore companies have all-male boards, and just 13 per cent of SGX-listed companies include two or more women on their boards. As of late 2016, women held around eight per cent of all corporate board seats in Singapore. Since then, the increase has slowed.

By comparison, women occupy 22 per cent of board positions in the United States, 27 per cent in Canada, and 28 per cent for average western countries. In Norway, France and Germany, which use quotas, women hold 42 per cent, 39 per cent, and 30 per cent of board seats respectively.