Listayhtiöiden hallitus- ja johtoryhmätehtävät : Naisten urakehityksen haasteet

The aim of the project was to investigate factors that prevent and promote the recruitment of women to the boards and management positions of Finnish listed companies, and what should be done to promote equal gender representation. The literature and empirical evidence indicate that the operating environment, the characteristics of the company and the individual combined influence the selection of women and can act as barriers or promoters.
Many of these factors can neither be influenced by the recruiting body nor the applicant. Examples include a change in the operating environment and a change in values. Instead, the systematic approach of the company's systematic recruitment processes and women's proactive attitude, for example through networking and further developing their own competences, are factors that can be actively influenced.
When searching for the best talent, four factors play a key role in increasing the equal representation of the genders in listed companies’ boards: a systematic recruitment process of defining skills needed, defining the entity responsible for recruitment, using a sufficiently broad candidate application base, and the due diligence process to evaluate candidates. A systematic recruitment process also minimizes the influence of the recruiters' own expectations and ways of evaluating the competences of the candidates. The results of the project promote the Finnish government's goal of increasing equal gender representation on the boards of listed companies, which is also supported by the new EU-directive..