Schedule meetings at convenient times for women<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n In a 2017 report[1]<\/sup><\/a> commissioned by the Government of Ontario, Catalyst researchers determined that Canada continues to lag behind other developed nations in terms of gender balance on boards. More women than men graduate annually from Canada\u2019s universities and colleges, yet Canadian women continue to be underrepresented on boards and in senior management, even though organizations with women on their boards have a greater collective board intelligence<\/a> than those with a less diverse gender makeup[2]<\/sup><\/a>. It is important to design strategies to ensure that women are recruited for governance boards and, once there, are actively engaged in decision-making. It is also important to build a board culture that creates an inclusive environment for women.<\/p>\n Status of Women Canada released a strategy document[3]<\/sup><\/a> that suggests a number of ways to support an inclusive board culture for women:<\/p>\n Schedule meetings at convenient times for women<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n Women are not the only members of society who have family responsibilities, but they bear the greatest weight of responsibility for child-rearing and child-care. To ensure that women on the board with family responsibilities can participate fully, think about the timing and the length of board and committee meetings. Be willing to offer flexible ways to connect to board meetings, such as remote connection for members when childcare responsibilities conflict with the meeting time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n