Germany: new controversy over the introduction of women on management boards

Ursula von der Leyen, the start of Angela Merkel’s administration, thinks that there is no doubt that a statutory quota of women is necessary.  Over the past decade, almost nothing has changed and businesses’ well-meant declarations have accomplished nothing.  “Currently, only 3 percent of board seats in large businesses are filled by women, 12 percent for supervisory boards.  We cannot keep going this slow” the Minister told the Tagesspiegel Berlin daily on March 7.  Giving German SMEs as an example, as 30 percent of senior positions are already held by women, von der Leyen thinks that large businesses have no valid reason to oppose the introduction of a quota of 30 percent on the boards and supervisory boards by 2018.  The Minister of Labor also wants to ask businesses to appoint a couple of women likely to have a position on the supervisory board.  “With their consent, we could list these extremely talented women in a database.  This would provide us with a group of women capable of holding managing positions, available for the coming board elections in 2013 and 2018.”  The Christian-Democratic Minister has many followers… in the opposition.  Thus, the social-democratic Parliamentary committee adopted, on March 6, a bill providing for the introduction of a 30 percent statutory quota of women on supervisory boards and 20 percent in management boards, starting in 2013, for new positions.  This law would affect the 1,500 listed businesses.  Yet, for the moment, the SPD is not the majority party and Angela Merkel’s party and its liberal ally (FPD) are deeply divided over this.  Family Minister Kristina Schröder wants to introduce statutory “flexible quotas” but she couldn’t impose her views (see our dispatches No.  110083 and 110623).  It is possible that only a European directive will change that.