Development Digest: Maximising Knowledge for Development

World Bank Publication Issue 4

Women on Boards in Malaysia

Using firm-level data for 806 public-listed companies in Malaysia, we highlight the extent of women’s participation as board members in Malaysia benchmarked against other countries.

 

How this women’s participation varies by industry and firm-size is considered, along with its potential impact on the company’s performance.

 

About 13 percent of the board positions in Malaysia filled by women and the rest by men in 2017.

 

Moreover, the trend over the last four years reveals a slow pace of increase in the proportion of women board members.

 

The largest 100 firms and some industries such as finance show a greater tendency to have female vs. male board members. The profit rate is significantly positively correlated with proportionately more female board members in a firm, suggesting a “business case” for more women on the boards. 

 

Read here Development Digest: Maximising Knowledge for Development