Network diffusion of gender diversity on boards: A process of two-speed opposing forces.

Network diffusion processes or how information spreads through networks have been widely examined in numerous disciplines such as epidemiology, physics, sociology, politics, or computer science. In this paper, we extend previous developments by considering a generalization of the diffusion by considering the possibility of differences in the speed of diffusion and reduction depending on the forces' directions. In this situation, the differential speed of diffusion produces deviations from the standard solution around the average of the initial conditions in the network.

Networks of Boards of Directors: Is the 'Golden Skirts' Only an Illusion?

In this empirical research, using a database of 41,107 directors from 38 European countries from 1999 to 2015, we analyze the topological features of the director's networks and observe that the degree distribution for both men and women follows a power law. The exponent of the power law is higher for women than the one for men, suggesting a milder role of interlocking for women that points to the absence of the 'Golden Skirts' phenomenon at the European level (i.e.