Just 6.9 per cent of board members of companies listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) are women, according to a collaborative report between BoardAgender, an outreach arm of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, and the National University ofSingapore (NUS) Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organization.

This trend is not unique to Singapore.

The New York Times recently quoted a global consulting firm McKinsey, which found that companies with a greater number of women in top positions made operational profits that were 56 per cent higher than other companies.

In addition, boards with more women surpass all-male boards in auditing, risk oversight and control.

Most Asian countries and the European Union have less than 10 per cent of their board members made up of women.

Only the Nordic countries have crossed the 20 per cent mark.

Experts say that the main factor holding women back is their tendency to leave their roles after a shorter period of time and to leave the office earlier than their male counterparts to tend to the family.

A separate study on gender diversity in Asia compiled by non-profit organisation Community Business revealed that women in six Asian countries - including Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore - struggled immensely, especially within a cultural environment that expects wives and mothers to take a central role in managing the home.

Read the fully story here.

Click on the thumbnails to find out how Singapore measures up in comparison to some other countries.