The number of women directors on the boards of Maryland-based public companies declined in 2010 as the number of Maryland public companies also decreased, according to a report released Monday by Network 2000, a nonprofit group that promotes women's leadership.
Women last year held the same share of board seats — 9.2 percent — as they did in 2009, the report said. Still, that percentage lags behind the average for the United States, where women make up 15.2 percent of directors at public companies.
Network 2000 found women had 65 of the available 708 board seats at 86 Maryland companies last year. That compares to 71 board seats held by women out of 772 available seats at 92 companies in 2009.
With fewer women on Maryland boards, the number of companies with 20 percent or more women directors dropped from 14 to 9. But the number of companies with no women directors declined, from 44 in 2009 to 40 last year. All of the state's Fortune 500 companies count at least one woman on their board, which is above the national average for Fortune 500 firms.
The report also looked at the makeup of executive offices and found a decrease in the number of women, from 48 in 2009 to 46 last year. Among the companies that added women executive officers were Choice Hotels International Inc., Carrollton Bancorp Inc., FTI Consulting Inc. and W.R. Grace & Co.