More Women on the Board of Directors = More Money (Really)

While it’s important to pay attention to what and how things are said in the media, it is also important to note what is not said. A study was released on October 1^st by Catalyst that states that as companies obtain a higher percentage of women on their Board of Directors their profits increase. Reuters picked up the study for their wires, but I didn't find the study discussed or referenced by any major news service.

This is relevant when compared to a post on Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily that she had heard that Warner Brothers President of Production Jeff Robinov would not do movies with women in the lead. This comment was credited to three producers and was attributed to the result of poor box office performance by the latest Jodie Foster and Nicole Kidman movies. I am deeply concerned that Warner Brothers might be judging the popularity of female lead movies based on two poor performing movies. Movies are one way that society mirrors itself, however, given the media’s limited attention span, I find it frustrating that a story with a focus on Hollywood is taking attention over a serious body of work that may help to alleviate the problem of a male studio head deciding that women are not valuable as leads based on two poor performing films.

The idea that we live in a free market economy based on using strategies that make the most money is false. Women are often neglected as buying partners or consumers to the detriment of a variety of industries who choose to take a slanted look at the evidence. Companies instead choose to move their buddies into board positions, those with whom they feel comfortable, this often translates into other men. A male centered world view leads to comments about the value of women as money makers based on random criteria. Whether or not Warner Brothers is choosing their movie strategy based on an incompetent idea is similar to companies refusing the ignore, not just one study but a large number of studies that show that diversity of ideas and people is beneficial for the bottom line.