FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PHILADELPHIA) Thursday March 14, 2013—Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a bill that would require contractors seeking to do business with the City of Philadelphia to disclose the number of women serving in executive positions and serving on their executive and full boards. With the backdrop of Women’s History Month, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown continues her push for full gender equality in the workplace and in executive leadership positions. Coinciding with the release of “Women on Corporate Boards: We Can Do Better,” the bill is the first of several recommendations in the report. “Both the report and the bill take pro-active steps to increase the representation of women in executive positions and on executive boards in Philadelphia,” said Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. “To think that in 2013, 41% of boards in Philadelphia have not one woman sitting at the table just floors me. Furthermore, we know that women of color represent less than one percent of board seats which is absolutely not acceptable. With the introduction of this bill, we are no longer talking about it; we are doing something about it. I intend to use every legislative resource available to us to make change for the better and to seize the moment, now.” Below is a snapshot of key findings from “Women on Boards: We Can Do Better.” The full report can be downloaded from the link at the top of the page. Key Findings:
- Women=46.6% of workforce nationally
- Women=11% of board seats in the top 100 public companies in the region
- Women of Color= Less than 1% of board seats in the region
- Women=11% of the 36 new directors at 45 of the largest public companies in the region
- 41% of boards in Philadelphia have zero women
- 11% of the 36 new directors at 45 of the largest public companies in the region are women
- In 1976 women occupied approximately 5% of Fortune 500 board seats—In 2011, the number is 16%
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