Media Center Press Releases

Boards Respond to Pressure and Increase Gender Diversity

---

REDWOOD CITY, CA (February 14, 2018)—Based on the current rate of growth, gender parity is now expected to be achieved by 2048, according to the latest Equilar Gender Diversity Index (GDI). This figure has been updated from an Equilar estimate in 2017 that did not have parity achieved until 2055.

The progress made toward gender parity is a meaningful step on the path to more diverse representation in corporate boardrooms more generally, but there is still a long way to go. As of December 31, 2017, the Equilar GDI was at 0.33, meaning that just 16.5% of board seats at Russell 3000 companies belonged to women. That figure increased from 16.2% a quarter earlier.

Other key findings from this quarter's report include:

• The percentage of Russell 3000 boards that are all-male has dropped to 20.8% from 22.5% a year earlier.

• Boards of larger companies tend to have more women-for example, 22.5% of Fortune 500 board seats are female.

• At the end of 2017, 32 boards had reached gender parity, up from 27 a quarter earlier. The list of boards that had 50% or more representation of women as of December 31, 2017 may be found here: www.equilar.com/blogs/361-boards-will-reach-gender-parity-by-2048.

You may request a complimentary executive summary of additional findings in this quarter's Gender Diversity Index. Use the comments section to request additional data on board composition or information from on the Equilar BoardEdge platform and the Equilar Diversity Network.

About Equilar

Equilar is the leading provider of board intelligence solutions. Its data-driven platforms, BoardEdge and Insight, provide tools for board recruiting, business development, executive compensation and shareholder engagement. Companies of all sizes, including 70% of the Fortune 500 and institutional investors representing over trillion in assets, rely on Equilar for their most important boardroom decisions. Equilar also hosts industry-leading board education symposiums, conducts comprehensive custom research services and publishes award-winning thought leadership. Founded in 2000, Equilar is cited regularly by Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other leading media outlets. Visit www.equilar.com to learn more.

For more information, contact:

Amit Batish
Content Manager
Equilar, Inc.
abatish@equilar.com
650-241-6697