Gender Equality as a Human Right: The Impact of Board Diversity on Corporate Governance and Decision-Making in Uganda

This study examines how board gender diversity, framed as a fundamental human right, shapes corporate governance outcomes in Uganda, including decision-making quality, accountability, and stakeholder trust. Situated within Uganda’s constitutional and statutory framework particularly Article 32 of the Constitution, the Equal Opportunities Act, and international commitments such as CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol the research highlights how the absence of explicit gender quotas under the Companies Act leaves female board representation dependent on voluntary compliance, reputational incentives, and institutional oversight by bodies such as the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). Using a multi-pronged mixed-methods approach, the study combines doctrinal legal analysis of statutes, policies, and case law with non-doctrinal socio-legal inquiry, including interviews, questionnaires, and document review. Data were systematically coded and analyzed using qualitative and statistical tools, and triangulated under Stakeholder Theory to integrate doctrinal, empirical, and comparative insights. Findings reveal that gender-diverse boards enhance transparency, ethical oversight, and strategic decision-making, with public sector boards demonstrating higher compliance and positively influencing private sector practices, while societal attitudes increasingly favor merit-based inclusion. Comparative evidence from Norway, France, and South Africa contextualizes Uganda’s regulatory approach. To advance gender equality as a human right in corporate leadership, the study recommends introducing formal gender quotas, mandatory disclosure of board composition, “comply-or-explain” obligations, strengthened regulatory enforcement, and expanded civil society mentorship initiatives to sustainably improve governance outcomes and corporate performance.