Pace International Law Review is honored to feature articles from its Spring 2013 symposium on Comparative Sex Regimes and Corporate Governance.  Today, we share Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: How Racial Politics Impedes Progress in the United States by Cheryl L. Wade. Professor Wade received her Master’s degree from St. John’s University and her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law. Professor Wade currently is the “Dean Harold F. McNiece” Professor of Law at St. John’s University and teaches issues regarding Race, Gender and Law, Business Organizations, Coproate governance and Accountability, and Race and Business. Her article focuses on the persisting problem of discrimination on corporate boards in the United States and their failure to adequately reflect the gender and racial diversity of the workers, consumers and communities in which they interact with:

The excellent conference organized by Darren Rosenblum comparing global approaches to board diversity inspired me to think about how progress in this context has unfolded in the United States. Even though the issue of diversity on corporate boards has become a global issue, few U.S. boards have moved beyond mere tokenism when it comes to female directors. One reason for the lack of diversity among corporate directors is that board selection has been based on membership in a particular network. This essay, however, focuses on the persisting problem of discrimination—a more invidious explanation for the fact that very few corporate boards reflect the gender and racial diversity of their workers, consumers, and the communities in which they do business.

Enjoy reading the full article, Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: How Racial Politics Impedes Progress in the United States.