Workplace gender reform ‘needs diversity in board appointments’

More women who differ in class, ethnicity and education are needed in boardrooms, says researcher

Appointing more women to company boards will do little to encourage gender equality if they are similar in social background and education to their male counterparts, a Sydney business academic has said.

Claire Wright, a research fellow at Macquarie University’s business school, says this can create “an old girls’ network” that deepens gender inequality in the boardroom and workplace.