The government is reportedly ‘delighted’ at news that more women are featuring on the boards of Britain’s biggest companies, managementtoday.co.uk reports.
A review of the progress so far suggests that several large organisations have paid attention to Lord Davies’ revelation about the lack of female representation at the highest levels in business. As of 1 October, women accounted for 19 per cent of FTSE 100 company directors.
Two years ago, when Lord Davies launched his scheme for a fairer gender balance, just 12.5 per cent of directors were women.
The news might prove inspiring to those that are at the start of their careers but have strong ambitions to break through the glass ceiling; it indicates there is a way through.
While the 6.5 per cent increase on 2011’s statistic is positive, business secretary Vince Cable said that there is still work to be done before the UK meets the government’s target of at least 25 per cent representation for 2015.
Lord Davies was somewhat more cautious, saying there was still ‘a long way to go’ but that the data showed the cause was heading in the right direction.
He told cipd.co.uk: “Businesses are making real efforts to find and appoint capable women to their boards and I will continue to champion their efforts.
“We have now moved to a place where it is unacceptable for the voice of women to be absent from the boardroom.”