Institutional correlates with female board representation

Gender equality on boards is a global and highly politicized issue. To this day, there is considerable cross-country variation in female board representation. We examine institutional supply- and demand-side factors associated with this issue. Our results indicate that a societal climate of gender equality contributes to more women on boards, mainly through fostering the supply of suitable candidates. Therefore, the glass ceiling should be improved through a societal supply-side effort which needs to complement demand-side (quota) regulation.