"The pipeline is impoverished," Herring said.

Maria Klawe, the president of Harvey Mudd College and a member of Microsoft's board, has encouraged more women to pursue careers in technology. "In my experience every board is more effective with a diverse group of people, so I'm surprised that Mark hasn't figured this out," she said, referring to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Another 2011 study from Catalyst reported that the Fortune 500 companies with the most women on their boards outperformed those with the fewest over a four-year period.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The IDG News Service