Chapter 17: Women Directors’ Perceptions of Their Contributions on Boards: An Exploratory Study From India

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in women directors, and several countries have introduced quotas for increased participation of women on the boards of companies (The Old-Girls’ Network, 2018). The Companies Act of 2013 mandated Indian-listed companies to appoint at least one woman director to their boards. This governmental mandate contributed to doubling the number of women directors from 5.5% in 2010 to 11% in 2015 (Dawson, Kersley, & Natella, 2016). The most recent figures released by the Indian Boards Database (2018) for companies listed in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) indicate that the percentage of women directors has grown to 15.34%, as of March 2018. This figure compares with around 40% in Norway following a regulatory requirement in 2008 and between approximately 30–40% for France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Italy as of 2017. The United Kingdom also registered an increase in the presence of women directors to 27% in 2017. These statistics are for the large listed firms in these economies (The Old-Girls’ Network, 2018).