Boardroom Quota for Women

The Grand Coalition (CDU/CSU and SPD) in Germany agreed on a compulsory gender quota minimum of 30% women in the non-executive boards. Starting in 2016, a of the positions in those boards must be held by. This law will apply to companies with employee representation on the supervisory board.  

 Men still hold over 80% of the positions in German boardrooms. Just 7% of executive boardroom seats among the 30 largest companies on the blue chip DAX index are held by women. The number of women in non-supervisory board positions has declined over the past year, found a survey by the Women in Supervisory Boards (FidAR). In public companies, the number of supervisory board positions held by woman app. 9% over the least three years.

The quota itself was negotiated almost a year ago but other issues have held up a formal accord among the parties. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) - and their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) - have resisted legal quotas in the past.

The policy was championed by Merkel's junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD).