Multinational companies are under increasing legal and social pressure to increase their representation of women and minorities on boards and in their workforce. Long after the practice became commonplace in Europe, the United States is beginning to impose initiatives mandating that companies include a certain number of minorities on their boards.
Separate and apart from board membership, implementing quotas requiring the hiring of women or minorities in the US is generally unlawful. The move toward mandating women and minorities on boards is nevertheless picking up pace.