Prejudice blamed on low female Australian executive numbers
Updated
New research has found a systematic bias against women is behind the low number of female board directors in Australia.
The report is based on interviews with female non-executive directors and chairmen, in some of Australia's top companies.
It says that despite women's experience and expertise, some directors continue to see the presence of women as symbolic, and hold them responsible for only soft issues.
Anna McPhee from Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace says women are valued for their diverse skills, but that can also be seen as a negative.
"The women are praised for being prepared, conscientious and hard working, but in the same breath, that very conscientiousness is used as evidence to say that actually they're lacking in gut instinct, and it becomes a negative."
