(From The Guardian) Research commissioned by the Observer has revealed that UK

boardrooms are still overwhelmingly male-dominated, despite the fact

that more than nine out of 10 companies claim to have an equal

opportunities policy in place.

Women occupy only 242 out of

2,742 seats on the boards of FTSE 350 companies, according to a study

by The Co-operative Asset Management as part of our Good Companies

Guide series of reports into ethical and socially responsible practice

in corporate Britain.

More than 130 companies out of those

surveyed had an all-male board and the vast majority of female

directorships are non-executive. Women hold only 34 executive board

seats out of a possible 970.

As a result of this work,

Co-operative intends in future to consider gender and diversity when it

is assessing companies from an ethical, social and governance

perspective.

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