California Now Requires Companies To Include Women On Their Board Of Directors

By Admin on October 1, 2018
Board of Directors at table
(Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law into effect yesterday requiring publicly traded companies to include women on their board of directors. There must be at lease one female director on the board of each California-based corporation by next year according to KCRA

“I don’t minimize the potential flaws that indeed may prove fatal to its ultimate implementation,” Brown wrote. “Nevertheless, recent events in Washington, D.C. – and beyond – make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message.”

Twenty five percent of companies in California currently have no women on their boards. The author of SB 826, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, believes having more women in power could help reduce sexual assault and harassment in the workplace.

The California Chamber of Commerce said that these decisions should be made internally, though. They added that the new law will prioritize gender over other aspects of diversity, such as race and ethnicity.

“It creates a challenge for a board on achieving broader diversity goals,” said Jennifer Barrera, senior vice president for policy at the chamber.

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