New California law requires corporate boards include women

A new bill signed into law Sunday in California requires that all publicly traded corporations with headquarters in the state must have at least one woman on their boards of directors by the end of 2019.

California is the first state to enact such a law, which aims to close the gender gap in business, and a quarter of the companies meeting the law's criteria do not currently have women on their boards. "Given all the special privileges that corporations have enjoyed for so long, it's high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half the 'persons' in America," Gov. Jerry Brown (D) wrote.

Under the law, by the end of July 2021, there must be at least two women on boards with five members, and at least three women on boards with six or more members. There is a fine of $100,000 for the first violation, and $300,000 for the second. Jessica Levinson, a clinical professor of law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times she's "not at all convinced" the law "would pass legal muster. It's a clear gender preference in that you are saying you need to single out women and get them on boards. The question is can you make that preference and will it hurt men."

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