1. Is poststructural feminism adequate to explain the underrepresentation of women on Corporate Boards in Asia and North America?

2. Status Quo Among Fortune 500 companies, less than one-fifth of companies had 25% or more women directors, while one-tenth had no women directors at all.

3. Status Quo

7. Driving Lens Poststructural feminists concerned with the relationship between knowledge and power. Men have generally been seen as the knowers while women have generally not been seen as the subject of knowledge.

8. Why do we care? Although the proportion of women at board level generally remains very low, it is changing. Government intervention in this area has increased. If gender diversity on the board implies a greater probability of corporate success.

9. Why do we care? Catalyst has shown that companies with more women on their boards tend to be more profitable. Mckinsey showed that companies with a higher proportion of women at board level typically exhibited a higher degree of organization, above- average operating margins and higher valuation. Larger companies are much more likely to have women on the board than smaller companies.

10. Why do we care? Board diversity do improve corporate governance. Women could bring -A more collaborative leadership style -Willingness to tackle tough issues -New issues and perspectives, broadening the content of boardroom discussions to include the perspectives of multiple stakeholders

11. Barriers to Change The double burden -More women than men choose to opt out of a professional career to have, or look after, a family. Social typecasting -The problem with stereotyping is that it is not always a conscious reaction. Character traits -confidence in ability, lower professional ambitions

12. Video Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRYkLu3GGdAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRYkLu3GGdA (0:18)

13. Alternative Lens Postcolonial feminists suggest that women’s subordination must be differentially understood in terms of race, class, and geographical location. -Cultural and socioeconomic factors, which vary by country, are powerful influencers of women’s role in the workforce.

14. Alternative Lens Liberal feminists believe that women’s equality can be achieved by removing legal and other obstacles that have denied them the same rights and opportunities as men. Examples of policies in female board representation: Canada, Malaysia, US

16. Conclusion