NPR

California Becomes 1st State To Require Women On Corporate Boards

A quarter of the 445 publicly traded companies in California don't have any women on their boards. Opponents say the law is unconstitutional and confusing for companies incorporated in other states.

California will be the first state to require publicly traded companies to have at least one woman on their board of directors.

, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday, requires public companies whose principal executive offices are located in California to comply by the end of 2019. The minimum is two female directors if the company has five directors on its board, or three women if it has seven directors by the close of 2021.

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