News that FTSE 100 companies failed to meet [UK] government recommendations that women make up at least a quarter of their boards has come as little surprise to campaigners...In the US, the story is much the same. Despite accounting for more than half of all jobs at financial companies, women fill a very small number of leadership positions in the corporate world, and the recession might be exacerbating this situation...New research has tried to address the disparity between the high level of education and early success of women, and their lack of representation further up the corporate hierarchy...Although the total number of women on FTSE 100 boards remains low, the number of new appointments has risen significantly, from 13 per cent last year to 22.5 per cent. And rather than being made up of old board members appointed to new positions, two thirds of the women appointed had no prior board experience. Part of the reason for this shift, she says, is a broader scope for those with different professional backgrounds to be considered. worldwide...The UK government remains reluctant to introduce quotas for female board representation, although Lord Davies, who led a government review that reported this year, warned that Britain’s boardrooms would face statutory quotas if voluntary targets did not produce results...[refers to Burberry (part of GUS), Intl. Power]