FACTBase Bulletin 53 - Gender in the Boardroom - Profiling WA's ASX 100 Company Directors

This FACTBase Bulletin explores gender equality in Perth as measured by examining the number of CEO positions of WA 100 ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) listed companies as defined by market capitalisation. It has been prepared to provide a quantitative base following on from the Committee for Perth’s 2015 report on gender equality – Filling the Pool.

Key Findings

• Women account for a mere 8.7 per cent on WA ASX 100 boards.
• WA ASX top 10 records 25 per cent female representation, dropping to 6.7 per cent for WA ASX 11-20, 9.1 per cent for WA ASX 21-49, and 3.7 per cent among WA ASX 50-100.
• Only a fifth of the 19 Perth headquartered companies on the ASX 200 currently meets or exceeds the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ 30 per cent gender diversity target.
• Female directors on the WA ASX 100 almost exclusively hold the position of non-executive or independent director, which suggests that they provide leadership and strategic advice as opposed to everyday administrative and managerial responsibilities within the respective companies.
• Despite the low absolute numbers, 26 per cent of the female directors completed their Bachelor degree in WA, 44 per cent were educated elsewhere in Australia and 30 per cent abroad. Over half of the female directors completed a postgraduate degree in other Australian states or overseas, which is indicative of the WA ASX 100 attracting individuals of diverse skills, knowledge and experiences.