Brussels, 25/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to an experts' report published on Thursday 25 March by the European Commission, the economy would benefit from better representation of women in high-level posts. The report, "More women in senior positions - key to economic stability and growth," shows only one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male. Viviane Reding asserted: “We have to make better use of women's talents and skills”. The commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship said that gender equality is therefore at the heart of the EU strategy and pointed out that “studies have shown that companies where women are well represented also perform best financially”.
In the corporate world, men account for nearly 89% of the board members in Europe's biggest listed companies. The disparity is widest at the very top where only 3% of such companies have a woman in charge. Norway stands out as the only country with anything approaching gender balance: 42% women and 58% men on the boards of the largest listed companies - a result of a legal quota. Several studies have now shown that gender diversity pays off and that there is a positive correlation between the share of women in senior positions and company performance. For example, a study conducted in Finland found that firms with a gender-balanced board are on average 10% more profitable than those with an all-male board.
In political decision-making, the European Parliament is now at its most gender-balanced level since its inception in 1979, with 35% women and 65% men. The proportion of women members of national parliaments (single/lower house) across Europe as a whole has risen from 16% in 1997 to 24% in 2009. However, it is still well below the so-called critical mass of 30% deemed necessary for women to exert meaningful influence in politics. In national governments, the situation is improving steadily with the share of women senior ministers in EU governments at 27%. At a European level, first prize goes to a European institution because the European Commission counts 9 women commissioners (33%) and 18 men (67%), the best gender balance. The report will be presented during an informal meeting of ministers in charge of equal opportunities between men and woman (in Valencia on 25-26 March 2010) and is available at: http://www.ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=762&langId=fr&furtherPubs=yes . (A.B./transl.fl)