A heated discussion is going on about whether or not more women should join the boards of our leading companies, especially the FTSE100.
As usual, the discussion about gender equality in the boardroom has assumed a strange tone about merit and, out of the blue, all-women short lists.
But before the discussion gets out of hand, we need to return to basics: that females are half the human race, that they increasingly out-perform men in education, accounting for a higher percentage of university graduates. Even some male-dominated occupations, including the professions, are now falling to the unstoppable force of girl power.
An increasing number of medical consultants are female, more top lawyers are female, and an increasing number of scientists are female, although none of these have reached anything approaching the correct numbers.
In fact, some occupational groups have been so feminised that if a male tries to get a job in those occupations eyebrows would be raised.
Just look at the low number of primary school teachers that are male, and increasingly secondary schools; or, look at the number of male nurses, or general practitioners.
The reality is that if men want to compete with high-achieving women the way to do so is on a level playing field, not on the bogus ground of ‘merit’.
The notion of ‘merit’ is the one often pulled out of the hat every time there is a suggestion of quotas.
But how does one measure merit? If directors of our most successful firms are saying that women are not yet ready for the boardrooms, then they need to look seriously at the make-up of their senior executives and the preparation they are giving these women to make the step up to be chief executives and non-executive directors.
The board of a modern and responsive company should be a chamber where all its stakeholders are given a voice.
We have had numerous inquiries on corporate governance over the last decade, ranging from Sir Adrian Cadbury’s to Sir Philip Hampton’s and more, yet the tectonic plates still have not shifted.
The solution is not just amendments to corporate legislation, it is also a regulatory issue.
