Most investors want disclosure of pay by gender: poll

A majority of Canadian investors surveyed say corporate Canada lacks women in leadership positions and that companies should be required to disclose their pay for men versus women.

The research by the Responsible Investment Association, sponsored by OceanRock Investments, found that 82% of investors believe women should be better represented on corporate boards in Canada.

Of the respondents, 92% say companies should offer equal pay for equal work and 76% believe they should be required to disclose how much they pay women compared to men.

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Fifty-five percent say they would be willing to sell their investments if they knew a corporate holding did not pay men and women equally for equal work; another 25% would consider selling, the data show.

Women hold only 12% of seats on corporate boards in Canada and 45% of publicly traded companies have all-male boards, RIA says a release.

The Responsible Investment Association and Insights West surveyed 1,084 Canadian investors online from March 21 to 30. Investors were defined as individuals currently investing in securities such as mutual funds, ETFs, stocks or bonds.

OceanRock says it is a shareholder in Restaurant Brands International, and it will be proposing resolution for RBI to adopt a plan to improve gender diversity at RBI’s board and executive level. RBI is the parent company of Tim Hortons and Burger King, and the proposal will be made at a company meeting Monday, OceanRock says.

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The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.