Why Life Sciences Boards Need More Women

By Vivian Doelling

Like many sectors, the biosciences have been dominated by men, especially in the executive suite and boardroom, where the gender discrepancies have been called “stark” by the category’s trade association.

Only 18% of bioscience company board seats were held by women in 2020, even as women were nearing gender parity with men in the cluster’s overall workforce, according to a company survey published in the first annual report on diversity, equity, and inclusion in biotechnology, sponsored by BIO. Another survey by the executive search firm Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH in 2021 reported that women held only 14% of board seats at publicly held bioscience companies.