Chapter 9: Those Who Serve and Those Who Aspire to Serve: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Across the world, female representation in the upper echelons of firms has increased remarkably but has stagnated to some degree in recent years (Gladman & Lamb, 2012; Grosvold & Brammer, 2011; Paul Hastings, 2015; Terjesen & Singh, 2008; “Women on Corporate Boards Globally,” 2017). Research on how women attain board positions spans many disciplines, theoretical frameworks, and lenses (Adams, de Haan, Terjesen, & van Ees, 2015). The following section briefly describes the current knowledge of female representation on boards, and the patterns evident in research findings concerning women directors. We then assess current political efforts and conclude with a discussion of future research directions.