For the first time, women make up the majority of non-executive management positions in the UK’s largest listed companies.
Women made up more than 50% of independent directors in the UK’s top 150 public companies in April, compared to just 18% a decade ago, according to recruiting firm Spencer Stuart Inc.
Overall, women hold more than a third of board seats, in line with UK Government targets, although 50 companies did not meet that benchmark.
UK public companies are being pressured to improve gender diversity.
The largest firms are 10 times more profitable on average if a third of executive boards are women than if all members are men, diversity consultancy The Pipeline said in a study last year.
Performance in ethnic diversity was notably worse, with 39% of companies without minority directors. People of color held about 11% of the board seats.
The data shows that greater gender diversity is not yet reflected at the top level, as women represent only 8% of CEOs and 9% of board chairs.
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