Women on FTSE boards: roles, tenure, share ownership and gender pay

This report produced by E-reward with a commentary from Duncan Brown, presents analysis of representation and remuneration of women on FTSE 350 boards. The report presents analysis of data held on the E-reward Summit Database of 3,395 executive and non-executive directors in FTSE 350 companies.

The report presents the relationship between remuneration and representation at senior levels, and suggests that, while the proportion of female directors is on an upward trend, for both executive and non-executive roles, women tend to be employed in positions of less responsibility and influence. Elsewhere, although issues of gender pay discrepancies and female representation are linked, they are not interchangeable. Moving closer to equality on board representation may not itself lead to greater gender pay parity as wider changes in government and company policies may also be required.

The report’s analysis aims to build on the findings of the Hampton-Alexander Review, which considers female representation at senior levels and whose latest report found that continued progress is being made towards the target of achieving 33 per cent women in senior leadership positions in UK boardrooms by 2020. This E-reward report encompasses a more extensive range of gender breakdowns than the Hampton-Alexander analysis, as well as more data on remuneration and share levels.

Read a summary of the findings from IES