A board is a long, flat piece of wood or similar material. It can also mean a group of people who manage or oversee an organization.
It comes from Old English “bord,” meaning “plank, table, or side of a ship.” From the idea of a table, it broadened to mean a group meeting around a table to make decisions.
The jump from wood to people seems strange until you imagine leaders literally sitting around a wooden table. Even “room and board” goes back to the idea that your meals were served on a shared board—your food and your furniture were one concept.
Terms like “board of directors” historically referred to overwhelmingly male groups, reflecting exclusion of women from corporate and institutional power. Language around ‘the board’ often assumed male default members and leadership.
Use gender-neutral role titles for board members and avoid assuming a board is male by default; specify diversity where relevant.
["governing body","committee","panel"]
Women have fought for and gained board seats across industries, pushing for governance reforms, diversity policies, and accountability.
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