2018 Issue

63 The Status of Women on Utah State Boards & Commissions Brief Authors, Susan R. Madsen (Orin R. Woodbury Professor of Leadership & Ethics, Utah Valley University, madsensu@uvu.edu) and Elizabeth Goryunova. Originally published September 6, 2016. Setting the Stage The purpose of both the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) Research & Policy Brief Series and the Research Snapshot Series is to provide data that can be useful to individuals, groups, organizations, and communities toward efforts to improve the equality and impact of girls and women throughout the state. A host of state rankings has continually listed Utah as one of the worst states in the nation for women. 1 Although we disagree with some of the measures, it remains clear that change is needed to strengthen the impact of Utah women for the good of women themselves, families, communities, and the state as a whole. Research shows that organizations and entities will increas- ingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles. 2 Gender inclusivity benefits not only businesses, but also entities such as churches, state legislatures, city councils, and the state government. Studies have shown that there are numerous benefits to attracting, retaining, promoting, and empowering women within organizations and entities. These benefits are discussed at length in a previous brief titled “Why Do We Need More Women Leaders in Utah?” 3 More specifically, research demonstrates the need for the government— and democratic governance processes in general—to accurately reflect gender diversity within its constituency at all levels. 4 The UWLP has published a number of research and policy briefs to help Utahans understand the status of women in a variety of settings and roles (i.e., politics, education, nonprofits, business, and entrepreneurs). This brief con- tinues that research by exploring the status of women on Utah state boards and commissions. Data was collected through a number of methods, including mining the Utah State Boards and Commission website, 5 searching websites dedicated to the specific boards (where available), and securing additional clarification from the Utah Boards and Commissions Office and agency or division representatives overseeing various boards and commissions. Utah Data Our research determined that there are 340 Utah state boards and commissions listed as “active”; however, we were able to locate member listings for only 295 of them. Hence, there are 2463 members on these 295 boards or commissions, with 1771 men and 692 women currently serving. In all, female appointees account for 28.1% of all active appointments. Unfortunately, comparable national data are not available; however, we did locate a few reports