Companies with more women on boards of directors also tend to have more women in executive positions, more women-friendly benefits packages, and better maternity leave, according to the third annual report on women leaders in communication companies conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. The report also found that women still comprise just 15% of executive leaders and just 12% of board members in top communications companies – numbers virtually unchanged from the previous year.
“Companies that have fewer women in top positions also tend to have less women-friendly human resources policies,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “That creates a self-generating cycle, making it less likely that women will be able to move their way up. A CEO committed to diversity will both invite women to serve on the boards of directors and create policies and opportunities for women to reach top executive positions.”
