Women’s Board Representation Slips Below 30% as Momentum Stalls

The share of women on the boards of mid-sized and large public companies dipped below 30% in the first quarter, missing that threshold for the first time since 2024, and down from a peak of 30.4% a year ago.

In all, women held 29.9% of board seats at Russell 3000 Index companies in the first three months of the year. During that period, women gained 138 seats and lost 83, for a net increase of 55 seats. But that was offset by a net gain of 186 board seats for men, according to a study scheduled to be released Tuesday by the group 5050 Women on Boards, in collaboration with data provider Equilar Inc.