Research
We’re fighting to ensure women have equal access to corporate board seats and top leadership at companies. In conjunction with our biennial A Seat at the Table Awards Breakfast, we publish the only report on the number of women on boards and in the senior governance of New Jersey’s public companies.
2023 Report
2023 Key Statistics
29% of board seats among public New Jersey companies are held by women, a 15 percentage point increase from 2013
37% of board seats among New Jersey Fortune 500 companies are held by women, an 18 percentage point increase from 2013
3% of public companies in New Jersey have 0 women board members, a 27 percentage point decrease since 2013
20% of top earners are women, double the number from 2013, when women made up only 10%
A Decade of Progress
Over the last decade, we have witnessed gains in the representation of women on the boards of publicly held New Jersey companies. Many changes have been dramatic—for example, the number of New Jersey companies with no women on their boards has dropped from 33 to 2. And while there are some encouraging signs, the number of board members from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups is far below parity, underscoring the need to persevere to sustain and build on these gains.
The progress of the last decade has also generated resistance. A Supreme Court decision dismantled affirmative action in many universities. Some states—New Jersey not among them—have banned the public funding of DEI programs. Companies have faced pushback on social media for supporting diversity initiatives. And a recent study by Bloomberg found that there have been far fewer public pronouncements of support for diversity by corporate executives than four years ago. At least so far, the effect has been on words more than actions, but the pressure is building.
At the heart of EWNJ’s work is equity, and we believe that this moment calls for all of us to work within our spheres of influence to persevere in the fight for more equitable and inclusive systems. We continue to call on all New Jersey companies to accelerate the pace of change and give more women A Seat at the Table.
This summary represents only a small fraction of the compelling information and enlightening statistics EWNJ uncovers in our latest Seat at the Table report.