Dive Brief:
- Women’s representation on Russell 3000 company boards is slipping, a recent analysis by Equilar and 50/50 Women on Boards showed.
- In Q1 2026, women held 29.9% of Russell 3000 board spots. Last year, their share was above 30% of board spots, including a peak of 30.4% in Q1 2025.
- Notably, most of the board spots gained by women were newly added seats and only 13.8% of newly appointed women were replacing men.
Dive Insight:
The Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate spaces has undeniably affected DEI at work, including how employers approach achieving gender parity on boards.
While attorneys have told HR professionals to “lean on the law” regarding DEI by focusing on the brass tacks of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, even programs and practices largely considered legal under Title VII have seen increased scrutiny due to the top-down anti-DEI sentiment. Only half of workers told The Conference Board in 2025 that they felt a positive personal impact from DEI initiatives — down from 57% the year prior.
HR professionals who are interested in fairness at work can strike the right note and outlast any administration’s approach to DEI by focusing on opportunity for all, experts told HR Dive.