Women scarce among world's 300 leading businesses

PARIS: Women may make up about half the world, but they fill less than 10 percent of the seats on boards of directors and executive committees at the world's top businesses, a new study revealed Tuesday.

Women account for only 9.3 percent of the membership of directors' boards at the top 300 North American, Asian and European firms listed on international stock markets, according to a joint study by the financial groups Ricol, Lasteyrie and Associates, Chistian and Timbers and Capitalcom.

Coming just 10 days ahead of the Women's Economic Forum in Deauville, France, the study offers a bleak assessment of the mark women have made on the top echelons of businesses that together had a market capitalization of 14 billion euros (17.9 billion dollars) in revenues last year.

An even more modest 7.6 percent of executive committee seats at these firms are filled by women, the survey found.