Nine countries have now mandated minimum representation of women on the boards of at least a limited set of public companies. Claims are also regularly made in the popular press that increased female board representation is linked to greater profitability and improved levels of corporate social responsibility. Nonetheless, the findings in the literature are mixed. This paper examines the methodological challenges that confront attempts to draw causal links between women’s greater representation on boards and company performance. The presentation will also include early findings from the author’s research in the Australian context.