Gender Quotas for Corporate Boards: Options for Legal Design in the United States

Abstract

The gender gap in U.S. business leadership remains shock-ingly wide. Today, 57.6% of all bachelors' and higher degrees are awarded to women, including 54.2% of social science and law degrees, and 43.5% of science and mathematics degrees. 1 But, despite their academic prowess, women find their careers stalled before they reach top management. In 2012, women held 16.6% of seats on Fortune 500 boards. One-tenth of the Fortune 500 had no women at all on their boards. 2 Thanks to social science research, we know that the atti-tudes and social structures that produce the gender gap are deeply embedded in our institutions and our psyches. 3 And yet,