More than eight in 10 (81%) of women feel that bias in the appointment process has a major impact on female representation.

And almost two-thirds (64%) of women do not support legal quotas, according to research conducted by Inspire, the female executive board network that is supported by Harvey Nash, a global professional recruitment consultancy and IT outsourcing service provider.

Female respondents say education and awareness as the single biggest opportunity for improving boardroom balance (44%), followed by published targets and regular reporting (40%).