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For a couple of years, California required that companies wishing to do business in the state had to make sure that women were included in the board depending on how many members it had.
That is no longer the case.
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A Los Angeles judge ruled unconstitutional a state law mandating public companies save a board seat for women, unraveling one of the linchpins of the state’s 2018 attempt at increasing gender equity.
At first glance, this is one of those unfortunate rulings that broke an effective law. I admittedly have a soft spot for things done in the name of equity, like attempting to “revers[e] a culture of discrimination that favored men… after failed attempts to rectify the culture.” The requirements did not seem to be super punishing — a sliding scale that required public companies to have at least 1 to 3 women on it depending on the size of the board, but the law is the law.
The good news is that over time, other avenues may be used to change cultural habits and address the need for equity in the field. Shareholders tend to fare better when women are at the helm of power, after all. The bad news is that reactions to the news suggest we’re a ways off from that future.
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO
— Bobby (@Bobbythirdway) May 16, 2022
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Cheers to the future being more female. Eventually.
California Law Requiring Women On Corporate Boards Ruled Unconstitutional [Forbes]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.