International focus on electing female directors may have had some impact among U.S. firms. On average female representation increased to 13.2 percent last year compared to 12.2 percent in 2008, said executive compensation data research firm, Equilar.
Based on the study among 1,185 companies in the S&P 1500, 77 percent of these companies have at least one woman currently serving on the board, and there has been a steady decrease in the number of companies without female directors—27 percent in 2008 with no female representation compared with 23 percent in 2010.
