Boardroom gender diversity in JSE-listed South African mining companies

Abstract

Despite the socio-political, ethical and business case for female board membership, women remain underrepresented in company boards. Using theories that support the membership of women on boards, this article presents the case for gender diversity in the boardroom. By employing a sample of 506 directors from 56 JSE-listed mining companies this article reports on the demographic characteristics, percentage of women in mining boards, and attributes that are predictive of women’s membership on boards. Results show that women serving on mining boards possess specialised knowledge in combination with advanced education. They either bring external support as outsiders, or are support specialists with financial, legal, arts and economics backgrounds. This study recommends the development of a talent management framework of women directors focused on their recruitment, development and retention.