Best Practice Governance: a Commitment to Equitable Gender Balance in the Victorian Public Sector

Equitable gender representation on corporate boards has been a focal theme in the quest for best practice governance both nationally and internationally. Originating from an empirical study on governance structures and practices in a Victorian public sector health agency, this paper presents the trends in the representation of women on a range of public sector boards, including the make-up of state metropolitan public health service boards over a four-year period. The perceptions’ of local leading governance professionalscollected as part of a larger ethnographic study on governance, is introduced to the debate in the academic and business literature on gender representation and the role of women on corporate boards. The paper explores the concept that women may bring a different perspective from their male counterparts that adds value to the boardroom. It addresses the purported barriers that prevent women from breaking the glass ceiling and discusses the government initiatives to increase female participation at board level. The paper concludes that the Victorian public health sector’s model of governance may be one of genuine best practice in terms of achieving real gender equity on boards. Keyword: governance, health, women, and equity.