Supporters of a rapid increase in the number of women in UK boardrooms are fond of pointing to Norway as an example of quota-led change for the better. They tend to be less inclined to look at the boardrooms within which that change has occurred, or at the values of the society it may have reflected.
The debate over gender diversity has been reignited by a proposal from Viviane Reding, the EU’s justice commissioner, to impose quotas on companies in Europe. Her move suffered a setback last week when lawyers ruled it could breach EU treaties; Ms Reding is expected to submit a revised voluntary scheme this month.
But Norway has already achieved quotas. Women who now have experience of sitting on boards in the country can offer insights into why they think they were appointed, the dynamics of more diverse discussion in the boardroom, and the extent to which the Norwegian experience has evolved out of a multiplicity of factors, rather than a single act of legislation in 2005.