Diversity of HE boards boosted by increase in women, ethnic minorities and disabled governors

Progress in diversity among university governing bodies is driven by notable increases in representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people, according to the latest biennial report, Diversity of Governors in Higher Education, published today (3 December) by Advance HE. 

However, despite improvements, the growth of women on boards has slowed and some institutions fall short in terms of how well their governing body reflects the ethnic diversity of their staff. 

Data also show that some governors represent multiple identities and protected characteristics, so only a relatively small number of individuals with intersecting characteristics could be responsible for increasing the overall diversity of governing bodies. 

Analysis of the data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), reflecting the 2022/23 academic year, found: 

• 43.4% of governing body members were women, a 1 percentage point increase since 2020/21.  

   

• Women made up 43.4% of those on governing bodies, compared to men who made up 56.1%.  

• Almost a third (31.6%) of institutions had a governing body where between 45% and 55% of governors were women.  

   

• Over nine in ten (90.9%) governors were UK nationals. This was far more than the proportion of academic staff who were UK nationals (66.7%), and slightly more than the proportion of non-academic staff (87.8%).  

• 15.2% of UK national governors were from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, an increase of 3 percentage points since 2020/21.   

• For all nationalities, 17.8% of governors were from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds.  

• There was a moderate increase in governors who disclosed a disability, increasing from 5.8% in 2020/21 to 6.5% in 2022/23, perhaps reflecting an increase in the proportion of all academic staff who disclosed a disability (6.2%). This increase was not quite as large as that reported at the sector level (from 6.0% in 2020/21 to 7.2% in 2022/23) (Advance HE, 2024).   

• 39.2% of governing bodies had no governor who disclosed a disability, despite 7% of academic staff at these institutions declaring a disability.  

   

• The proportion of female governors (7.8%) who disclosed as disabled was slightly greater than that of male governors (5.7%).  

• 10.0% of governors from a Black, Asian or Minority ethnic backgrounds who were UK nationals disclosed a disability, compared to 6.4% of UK national academic staff from a Black, Asian or Minority ethnic backgrounds, suggesting that these governors are representing multiple identities and governing body diversity might rest on a handful of individuals instead of being. a diverse group overall.  

• 5.9% of governors were aged 25 or under in 2022/23, compared to just 1.7% of academics, although the proportion of professional and support staff in this age range was similar (6.8%).   

• 41.4% of governors were aged between 26 and 55, yet well over two thirds (79.5%) of academic staff were in this age range.