California Says Goodbye to the All-Male Board of Directors

The good old days.

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Sometimes the best way to get social change is to tell people they just have to do it:

California last year embarked on a unique social and political experiment in the U.S. What would happen if the government required corporate boards to include female directors? The answer: Companies would add them in droves. Ninety-three California-based members of the Russell 3000—an index which includes most public companies on major U.S. stock exchanges—had all-male boards when the law was signed on Sept. 30, 2018, according to Equilar, a corporate governance-data firm. As of this Nov. 22, the most-recent date for which comprehensive data are available, that number had dropped to 17. A few companies have since said that they have added female board members as the year-end deadline for compliance nears.

In the year 2019 it should not be a huge inconvenience to find at least one woman who can sit on your board. Just do it, for God’s sake.

Fact:

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