Women’s Council calls for 40% gender quota on corporate boards 'to end exclusion'

Almost one in five Irish companies (19%) had no female directors in September 2020, and just 27% of all new board appointments in 2020 were female. Picture: iStock

The National Women’s Council wants the Government to establish a 40% legislative quota for gender balance on non-State boards after a report found voluntary targets failed to have any meaningful impact and women "continue to be excluded from the rooms of power".

Speaking at the report launch on Thursday, director of the NWC Orla O’Connor said: “Our report indicates that all-male boards and executive director appointments continue to be stubbornly resistant to change. Despite often better educational outcomes, women continue to be overlooked and undervalued by an outdated set of policies and practices.”