The Global Gender Gap Index was first introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006 as a framework for capturing the magnitude of gender-based disparities and tracking their progress over time. The Index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, education, health and political criteria, and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparisons across regions and income groups.
Women on Boards: Global Trends in Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards
Research conducted for this report state that companies with women in strong leadership positions generate a return on equity of 10.1% per year vs. 7.4% without. The MSCI uses this business case to make the argument that quotas are necessary to reach the goal of 30% female representation in a timely manner.