Nine boards were composed exclusively of men and 18 boards had only a single female representative. The land and resource management regimes created through the settlement of our comprehensive land claims have given Aboriginal governments equitable representation and co-management, but have not promoted gender equity and board membership.
A strong case can be made for regulators and government nudging corporations and boards towards greater diversity at the highest levels. There’s ample evidence that companies and boards with women in decision-making positions are more profitable, better governed, more internationally competitive and more responsive to financial crises. In fact, the data suggests the more women, the better the performance. Recent studies in the United States have shown women perform better than men when forced to make decisions under stressful situations. In fact, one study showed that when the stress level was higher, men took greater risks compared to the routes women chose.
I truly appreciated the support from my colleagues on Friday for women and International Women’s Day, but without more women in decision-making
positions we are only paying lip service to women’s equality. Thank you.