Minister McGrath publishes new report on Gender Balance Diversity on State Boards: the next steps

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, today (Saturday 17 December) published a report: Gender Balance Diversity on State Boards - the next steps. The report signals achievements to-date, looks at where Ireland sits in the international context and sets out measures to continue with the significant progress already made.

This report found that females now represent 46.1% of the 2,610 members of the State Boards at the end of 2021 and 59% of boards were meeting the goal of at least 40% male and female members.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, commented:

A key driver of gender diversity on State Boards is the gender diversity in the applications made to serve on those State Boards. It is clear from the data that while a higher proportion of male applications are forwarded for consideration, the proportion of male applications forwarded for consideration is lower than the proportion of males who originally applied.

For example, in 2021 there were 142 State Board vacancies, of those applicants that declared a gender preference 65% of applicants were male and 33% of applicants were female. However, of those applicants forwarded for consideration 56% were male and 43% were female. In relation to appointments made to State Boards in 2021, 45% of appointments were male and 55% of appointments were female.

Data in relation to the chairperson positions for the 184 non-vacant positions is currently less positive with only 31.5% of chairperson positions held by female candidates.

It is clear that there remains significant issues around the levels of female applications for State Board positions, among the reasons cited are:

• onerous time commitment on Boards of State Bodies
• low remuneration
• lack of coaching/mentoring

In considering gender equality on Irish State Boards, it is helpful to have regard to some international data. In Australia, for example, average female representation on Australian Government Boards in 2021 was 50.2% and the proportion of chair/deputy chair positions held by females in 2021 was 40%. In the UK and for the same period (2021), female board membership was 48% and 33% of chairpersons were female.

Evidence suggests that Gender diversity on Boards is an important input to their overall success. It not only helps the Board better reflect the society that they serve, experience also shows that more diverse Boards are better able to draw on a range of insights, skills and experiences, to help guide and oversee the organisation for which they have responsibility. There has been very good progress in overall terms in enhancing gender equality on State Boards with over 59.3% of State Boards now meeting the gender targets, however, as the data indicates some challenges remain to be addressed.

Read the report.

In 2019 the government approved an inter-Departmental Group report on gender balance on State Boards and that report provided for a number of measures to enhance gender equality.

There has been significant progress in recent years with 59.3% of State Bodies now meeting the gender targets and females now represent 46.1% of all serving members of State Boards.

Ireland compares favourably in international comparisons, for example female representation on Australian Government Boards stands at 50.2%.

However, the report noted that only 31.5% of chairperson positions are held by females.

This report provides for a number of actions to encourage greater female participation in State boards. A number of these measures relate to recruitment campaigns and information awareness raising on the work of a State Board.