China’s 100 biggest listed companies have just 14% female directors on their boards, says report that urges addressing ‘diversity deficit’
- State-owned enterprises (SOEs) had a lower rate of female directors than their private sector counterparts, the Asian Corporate Governance Association said in a report
- The top performers in diversity terms were privately-owned enterprises, many of which operated in high-growth industries
Just 14 per cent of the directors serving on the boards of the 100 most valuable Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges are female, a report from a regional corporate governance body said.
“We call on regulators and investors to actively encourage the appointment of women to issuers’ nomination committees as a means of addressing the diversity deficit at listed companies in the region,” ACGA said in a statement on Monday.
“Behind the headline figure of 14 per cent female representation on boards among China’s largest issuers there is some cause to be cautiously optimistic,” the report said.
“While state firms appear true to form in lacking a progressive streak, the same cannot be said for their private counterparts. The top performers in diversity terms are privately owned enterprises, and many operate in high-growth industries.”
26:22
No longer ‘leftover’: China’s women take charge
It added that such companies were involved in the manufacture of silicon wafers, electronics components and lithium batteries and that they were nearly twice as likely to appoint women to their boards.
