Massachusetts Women's Board Share Dips to 32.6%

A Boston Club census finds women's board representation at Massachusetts companies slipped in 2026 as more firms withheld demographic data.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Women’s Issues

Bold vector editorial illustration of a long oak table with identical chairs, one pulled out in coral, evoking an unfilled seat. — The share of women holding board seats at tracked Massachusetts companies slipped to 32.6% in 2026 from 33.1% a year earlier, as 54 firms withheld demographic data. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The share of women holding board seats at tracked Massachusetts companies fell from 33.1% in 2025 to 32.6% in 2026, according to a census released by the Boston Club. The number of companies declining to disclose board gender, racial, or ethnic data rose to 54 from 42 the prior year.

Why it matters

The decline reverses a trend in which women's board representation had been growing slowly, and the rise in nondisclosure makes it harder for shareholders and regulators to track progress in Massachusetts. Researchers say it is unclear whether this year's results mark an inflection point or a one-year blip.

The census shows women held 32.6% of board seats in 2026, down from 33.1% in 2025, while the number of companies declining to disclose board demographics rose from 42 to 54. The census does not state the reasons companies gave for withholding the data.

The players

Boston Club

A Boston-based organization that publishes an annual census of women's representation on the boards and in the executive roles of Massachusetts companies.

The details

The Boston Club census tracks board seats and executive roles at Massachusetts-based companies. Ten women now serve as CEOs of the tracked companies, two more than in 2025, while six boards reached gender parity, up from three, and 12 boards had at least one woman, up from eight. The number of boards with three or more women fell from 68 to 65.

In 2011, women's board representation stalled, with one in nine women holding board seats.
In 2024, a federal ruling struck down Nasdaq's board diversity disclosure rules.
In 2025, women held 33.1% of board seats and 42 companies declined to disclose board data.
In 2026, women's share fell to 32.6% and 54 companies declined to disclose board data.
The findings were previewed at a panel on Tuesday, November 12, 2026.

Political Context

The 2024 federal ruling that struck down Nasdaq's board diversity disclosure rules removed a reporting requirement that had made board demographics public. The 2026 rise in companies withholding data, which the census links to a climate in which the Trump administration targeted DEI-related initiatives, shows how the removal affects what is visible to the public.

Shareholders and job seekers who rely on board demographic data may find fewer companies disclosing it, making it harder to compare employers. Readers tracking workplace gender equity in Massachusetts will need to weigh the 54 nondisclosing companies when assessing progress.

The takeaway

Check whether a company you follow or work for discloses its board demographics before drawing conclusions about its leadership diversity. Nondisclosure can be as informative as the numbers themselves.