When Cranfield Business School launched its International Centre for Women Business Leaders in 1999, more than a third of FTSE 100 companies did not have a single woman on their boards. That proportion has steadily fallen, dipping below one-quarter last year, according to the centre’s statistics.

In a report coinciding with the 100th International Women’s Day on 8 March, the centre revealed that the number of female FTSE 100 directors almost doubled from just 5.6 per cent in 2000 to 11 per cent in 2006.

But while the statistics are moving in the right direction, one seasoned observer claims that the corporate approach to gender needs a thorough rethink.

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