Catherwood LibraryILR School

In a highly controversial move, the Norwegian government announced a plan last week requiring public and semi-public companies to ensure that forty percent of the members on their boards of directors are women. Made public the day before International Women’s Day, the new law gives affected companies a year to comply voluntarily with the quota or risk enforcement involving sanctions that will be specified in the coming year following discussions with business and labor groups. The plan, which has come under fire from at least one far-right political party, also requires that at least forty percent of board members of public and semi-public companies are men.