German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her stamp of approval to a Cabinet measure that orders leading companies in the country to reserve about a third of their supervisory board slots for women.
The mandate, if passed by the Parliament, would take effect in 2016, The Associated Press reported.
Manuela Schwesig, the minister for families and women, said the bill was “a milestone on the way to more equality,” AP said.
Currently, women hold 22 percent of supervisory board slots on companies that are listed on the nation’s DAX index, the Economy Ministry reported.
This new requirement would impact 100 companies on that benchmark index, beginning in two years, AP said. Those companies that don’t recruit and hire the required number of women will be banned from hiring men for those slots, AP said.
Germany wouldn’t be the first nation to have such a mandate. Norway, Spain, Iceland and France also have similar rules. The bill still has to get the thumbs-up from Germany’s Parliament.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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