Executive Women in Leadership: Decoding the Gender Gap in Board Membership

Decoding the Gender Gap in Board Membership

Men overwhelmingly outnumber women on public boards of directors, but times are changing and more boards than ever are actively seeking qualified women to help steer their companies. For interested women, the challenge is that the typical path to board membership—through the C-Suite—is optimized for the male executives who often land senior leadership roles.

This course, designed specifically for women with leadership experience by Deborah Streeter, the Bruce F. Failing, Sr., Professor of Personal Enterprise at Cornell, and Susan S. Fleming, a senior lecturer at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, will demystify the journey to board membership for women and break down the responsibilities and opportunities that women can expect once on a board. In this course, you will prepare yourself for board membership by assessing your personal competencies and potential barriers to joining a board. You will write your own value proposition for what you could bring to a board and then identify potential boards and make a plan to approach them. You will also analyze how, as a woman, you can make a positive impact on a board, all while successfully navigating the double bind.

Key Course Takeaways

Assess your key competencies compared to those required for board membership, and make a plan to fill any gaps

Identify boards you may want to join and position yourself as a candidate

Prepare for board membership by practicing the behaviors of successful board members

Applies Toward the Following Certificates

• Executive Women in Leadership