Europe's
justice commissioner, Viviane Reding, wants to see more women in top European
management jobs. A new survey shows that's also the will of the EU's people.
Legislation
obliging EU countries to introduce quota systems that require more women in
executive positions could see the light of day by summertime, according to the
EU's justice commissioner.
Now Viviane
Reding has given companies until the end of May to provide their input on the
matter, after which the EU executive will decide what steps to take to bring
about change.
"Personally,
I am not a great fan of quotas," Viviane Reding said on Monday. "But
I like the results they bring."
Across the
EU, only 13.7 percent of executives are women, she added.
Last year,
Reding called on European firms last year to voluntarily increase the number of
executive women, but the results were meager. Only 24 companies - none of which
were German - joined her pledge to bring the percentage of top female managers
to 30 by 2015 and 40 percent by 2040.
'Regulations
work'
Since
France introduced a law forcing large companies to reserve at least 40 percent
of their boardroom positions for women in 2011, the proportion of women in
those jobs had risen from 12 to 22 percent, she said.
"Where
there are legal regulations, there is progress," Reding noted.
Germany
does not have a quota to ensure women are well represented in top management
jobs. Last year, Berlin called on companies to voluntarily increase the
numbers.
Around
eight percent of the management positions in companies listed on the German
stock market are held by women.
An EU study
published on Monday showed that three-quarters of the bloc's citizens believe
that women with the same qualifications as men should have equal opportunities
to assume top jobs. Eighty-eight percent say that it is unacceptable that women
are underrepresented in Europe's executive suites.
The EU says
that at the current rate it would take at least 40 years for women to hold 40
percent of the positions on management boards.
ncy/pfd (dpa, Reuters, DAPD, AP)
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