Jan 29, 2006

High tech firms lag in appointing women

The high-technology industry has more women serving as directors than a year ao, but the sector has less gender parity than the broader corporate world, a recent study reports.

The 2005 Spencer Stuart Silicon Valley index compared the presence of women on the boards of high-tech firms against those in companies listed on the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index.

Among high-tech companies survey, 44 per cent had at least one woman director, slightly higher than the 41 per cent recorded in 2004. Overall, women held 7.2 per cent of directors' seats on Silicon Valley boards, also slightly higher than in 2004.

Overall, only 11 per cent of Silicon Valley high-tech companies had two women occupying board seats and none had more than two.

In comparison, 88 per cent of companies in the S&P 500 have at least one woman director and 49 per cent have two or more women on their boards.

Posted in: Women and Boards