New Nationwide Survey Exposes Alarming Divide Between Men and Women Executives About Gender Parity in the Boardroom and C-Suite

NEW YORK, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from a national survey by Women's Forum of New York released today revealed that while an overwhelming majority of executives believe gender parity in the boardroom is good for business, staggering disparities persist in how men and women executives currently view gender equality at the top-most leadership positions. According to the survey, twice the number of men than women executives believe gender parity in the boardroom and C-suite has already happened, and less than half of men in senior leadership positions believe they have any personal responsibility in helping achieve parity–significantly lower than their women counterparts.

"Gender diversity at the highest levels of any corporate structure has proven to be a strategic business imperative, yet the surprising lack of consensus about the issue that exists between men and women executives remains one of the biggest obstacles to changing the current corporate landscape," said Janice Ellig, Chairperson, Corporate Board Initiative for Women's Forum of New York. "While women have made great strides in gaining senior leadership positions, the survey results remind us all that there is still tremendous work to be done for women to achieve parity in the boardroom and C-suite."

According to the survey results, one of the most striking incongruences between men and women executives was whether or not inequality was still a hindrance in the corporate culture, showing a much higher number of women (74%) than men (43%) recognize that gender equality in the boardroom is a problem. The survey also uncovered a deep divide between the number of women (72%) who agree there are enough women leaders to achieve boardroom diversity versus men (49%) who shared the belief.

To learn more about the Women's Forum of New York and its Corporate Board Initiative, please visit www.womensforumny.org.

Survey Methodology
Women's Forum of New York conducted a survey of 505 leading U.S. senior decision makers identified as C-level, chairman, or head of a division from companies with a mix of industries, services, locations, and representative work force size. The survey was conducted online for Women's Forum of New York in March 2017.

About Women's Forum of New York
The Women's Forum of New York is the city's premier organization of women leaders. The invitation-only membership of more than 500 women, representing the highest levels of achievement across all professional sectors from finance to fine arts, is dedicated to the advancement of women's leadership through programs which enrich members lives personally and professionally, through The Education Fund which enables talented women whose potential has been disrupted by extreme adversity to resume their education, and through the Corporate Board Initiative, which extends and expands the contribution of women leaders through corporate board participation. Founded in 1974, the Women's Forum of New York is the flagship of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of nearly 6,000 outstanding women leaders in over 74 Forums around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.womensforumny.org.

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SOURCE Women's Forum of New York

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