A Guide to Increasing Board Diversity in Housing (9 in 19)

The report which contains practical actions to increase diversity at board level within housing organisations.

Research by ema consultancy into housing board diversity in 2018 showed that only 37% of board roles were held by women and only 32% had female chairs.

In response, and with ema consultancy and Futures Housing Group, we organised a recent event which saw 30 men and women gather to talk about barriers to entry and key recommendations to increase representation, at board level, of the nine protected characteristics.

The report published by ema consultancy with support from Creative Bridge and Futures Housing Group, captures the key outcomes, including the need for greater board visibility. Other ideas such as softer routes into governance (eg shadowing) and an increase in practices such as meeting observers and refocusing recruitment adverts on attitudes and behaviours alongside skills, are also discussed.