Matthew BidwellValentini, Karl2023-05-232023-05-232017-01-012017-10-23https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/46989With the increased attention given to corporate governance, there has been more of a focus on the lack of gender diversity in boardrooms. Within the context of corporate governance, this project studies the impacts of gender diversity initiatives for boardrooms. The thesis focuses on the path that women take to the boardroom and on how gender diversity initiatives affect the dimensions of that path. Gender diversity initiatives in both Norway and in the United Kingdom are studied, but the analysis narrows down and focuses on the Norwegian experience and the impacts of the Norwegian board quota. By analysing interviews with a broad range of participants in Norway, the thesis gives a qualitative view to the dimensions of the path to the boardroom through four themes: the role of formal mechanisms in the recruitment process, the assumptions related to the ideal board member, the emergence of new elite networks, and the transition from executive to board careers. These themes contribute to the literature on board recruitment and boardroom diversity. Finally, they serve as reference points for examining the current research on gender diversity in boardrooms and for starting new research.Board recruitmentBoard diversitySocial networksNorwegian quota lawWomen on BoardsBusinessBusiness Administration, Management, and OperationsBusiness Law, Public Responsibility, and EthicsFinance and Financial ManagementHuman Resources ManagementInternational BusinessWorking Paper