Are Quotas the Answer to the Gender Gap at the Top?

In a recent article for the Women Advocate—“Higher But Unbroken: The Glass Ceiling at the Top of the Legal Profession”—I discussed the demonstrated underrepresentation of women in leading roles. Specifically, statistics show that while there are many senior female attorneys, women are noticeably absent in the highest positions. As also stated in my article, this is a complex issue with many factors contributing to the problem and no one solution.

That being said, the State of California has come up with what they believe is one solution: setting quotas. According to a new law enacted on September 3, 2018—the first of its kind in the United States—publicly-traded companies headquartered in California can no longer have all-male boards and will be required to place at least one woman on their board of directors by the end of 2019. The law further requires companies with five directors to add two women by the end of 2021, and those with six or more directors to add at least three more women by that time. Failure to do so will result in monetary penalties up to $300,000.

Please click here to read the entire article on the American Bar Association website.