A growing body of evidence points to significant economic benefits from a better gender balance in economic decision-making. The recent report of the European Commission on "Gender balance on company boards" points out that while there have been some recent advances, particularly in countries that have introduced gender quotas, progress remains slow. There are also big differences between countries, with women making up 27% of boards in the largest Finnish companies and 26% in Latvia, but only 3% in Malta and 4% in Cyprus.

According to the report, just one in seven board members at Europe's top firms is a woman (13.7%). This is a slight improvement from 11.8% in 2010. However, it would still take more than 40 years to reach a significant gender balance (at least 40% of both sexes) at this rate.
To identify appropriate measures for addressing the persistent lack of gender diversity in boardrooms of listed companies in Europe, the Commission launched a public consultation. The Commission is seeking views on possible action at EU level, including legislative measures, to redress the gender imbalance on company boards. The public consultation will run until 28 May 2012. Following this input, the Commission will take a decision on further action later this year.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/gender-equality/news/120305_en.htm