Why Don’t Women Get a Seat at the Table

By Shlomo Maital     

      When men have done such a lousy job running government, nations, and big businesses – why don’t more women get a seat at the table?

      Consider this: (for the US):

  •    The share of reported female Board directors increased by one percentage point, from 31% in 2022 to 32% in 2023.  At  last count, half the population are women.  One Board member in three is a woman.
  •     Women CEOs run 10.4% of Fortune 500 companies in the US.  One in ten.
  •   There are 25 women now serving in the US Senate.  One in four.   Incidentally, the Senate is run by very old men, and the average age of Senators if 64!
  •   There are 125 women (out of 435 representatives) serving in the House. Just a bit over one in four.  

And in general, in Nobel Prize awards:

  •    Thirteen women  have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (5.6% of 230 awarded); eight women have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (4.1% of 191 awarded); five  women have won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1.8% of 224 awarded).  Why? Because it is tough for women to excel in male-dominated sciences — especially physics.

       According to a report by the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, full male-female parity in politics will not be reached for another 130 years,   Yet:

       “It turns out that societies gain advantages when their political leadership includes more women. Countries with greater female representation at the highest levels remove legal inequality between men and women, according to a new report by Women Political Leaders and the Oliver Wyman Forum.”

           Men have messed up the world.  Why not give women a chance and offer them a seat – at the head of the table?  The men won’t do it, so let’s elect more women, who can legislate to fix the male-heavy tables.

            What can we lose?  They sure can’t do any worse than the men.