By Kim Bojórquez
Latinas are underrepresented on California corporate boards of directors despite recent efforts to compel businesses to bring more women into leadership positions, according to a new analysis conducted by a Latino advocacy group.
The study found Latinas make up 3.3% of board member seats in a state where Latinos account for 39% of the state population.
The analysis of 662 California headquartered, public companies, conducted by the Latino Corporate Directors Association, identified that 35%, or 233 companies, of boards are all-white boards, with no ethnic of racial diversity.
Of the 511 public board seats filled by women as of March 1, white women account for 77.9% of seats, followed by Asian women, 11.5%, and African American women, 5.3%. Of the 662 companies, 65% companies have at least one ethnic or racially diverse board member, according to the review.
“We see a lot of white women being appointed to boards, whereas women of color are left out,” said Kathy Jurado Munoz, advocacy and demand vice president for the Latino Corporate Directors Association.