Brussels, 30/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - In adopting the report by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP, Greece) on women and business leadership on 25 May, the European Parliament (EP) women's rights/equal opportunities committee calls on the Commission to prepare “a road map setting specific, measurable, appropriate and realistic targets, with a timetable, for the achievement of balanced representation”. The committee also backs case studies and sharing of best practice, along with a more proactive attitude. The report will be put to the July plenary session of the EP for approval.
Addressing the committee, Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou made the point that, currently, only 10% of the board members of the EU's top 10 listed companies are women, even though 60% of those with higher education qualifications are women. Statistics show that women remain poorly represented at management level. At the current rate of progress, it will take another 50 years before corporate boards include at least 40% women, she said. The situation varies from country to country, however, and countries are not all advancing at the same rate, she said, calling for a commitment to work with the European Commission in a reasonable uniform approach.
To give a few figures on quotas: France and Spain have passed legislation on quotas. Since 2008, when France started talking about the legislation, the number of women in management has increased from 7.6% to 12% in 2010. The number of women in boardrooms in Spain rose from 6.6% to 11% over the same period.
France and Spain will require boards of companies of over 500 employees and an annual turnover of €50 million to have 40% women members by 2015. Belgium and Italy are discussing similar measures.