Of all the major EU economic powers Germany has been the slowest at instilling gender diversity at the very top of business.
According to the Federal Statistical Office’s latest labour force survey Germany, the EU’s largest economy, had only 29 percent of executive positions filled by women in 2014. This statistic has changed little from the previous two years.
Challenge
This reflects the challenge that many companies face in the scramble to meet EU quotas that took effect on Jan. 1. Large corporations are now required to declare targets for executive boards while the government enforces a 30 percent quota for the supervisory boards that oversee them.
Latvia was found to be the best at ensuring a gender balance in the boardroom, followed by Hungary, Poland and Lithuania. The UK came eighth, just behind Bulgaria.
Croatia, Luxembourg and Cyprus were at the bottom of the list, while Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands also fared badly.
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.
