Women on Corporate Boards and in Top Management: European Trends and Policy (Work and Welfare in Europe)

Has women's presence on company boards and in other top management positions improved? And in which countries and types of organization has most progress towards gender parity been made? This book provides an international comparative analysis of the trends and evaluates gender equality policy developments, including those focused on corporate governance, such as the use of gender quotas for board membership. It includes detailed analysis using new data from eight European countries strategically selected because of their different policy frameworks and trajectories with regard to welfare, employment and promoting gender equality: Norway, Sweden, Finland, the UK, France, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia.

Developments in women's presence in top management jobs are considered in relation to the broader gender structuring of the labour market and political life. Policy debates and developments to redress women's under-representation in this arena are examined and evaluated and theoretically informed explanations are advanced, which emphasize the influence of national institutional settings and policy regimes, over and above market forces, even at this elite level of the employment hierarchy.