In 2004, just 42 S&P 500 companies had boards with at least 30 per cent women. Five companies were evenly split, and only one company, Avon, had a female-majority board. By contrast, 55 companies had exclusively male boards.
Five years later, in 2009, the number of S&P 500 companies with all-male boards had fallen to 24. However, the number of boards over the threshold of 30 per cent women had also dropped, to 37, and no company had a majority-female board.
This year, 76 companies had boards comprised of at least 30 per cent women, and five others - Berkshire Hathaway, BlackRock, BNY Mellon, PNC Financial Services, and DuPont - pledged to reach that mark. Estee Lauder joined Avon in having a majority of women in their boardroom. Eight S&P 500 companies were left with all-male boards.