Germany’s national parliament will this week vote on whether to impose legally binding quotas for women on the boards of the country’s DAX-listed companies, with the legislation committing to impose a 30% quota for women on boards from 2020.
But while German chancellor Angela Merkel and conservative members of her party have been resistant to passing the opposition-backed proposal for fixed gender quotas, a number of party members are threatening rebellion, straining coalition solidarity and Merkel’s chances at reelection for a third term in the upcoming election.
The cross-party rebellion is being led by employment minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has said voluntary means of increasing the number of women on boards have failed so far. Around two dozen of Merkel’s ministers are reportedly considering supporting the legislation.
At present, women occupy just 4% of the executive leadership jobs in top companies across Germany, compared with an average of 10% for countries within the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
The split has forced criticism from inside Merkel’s party, with CDU’s economic council president Kurt Lauk telling the Rheinischen Post that the move is nothing more than political wrangling.
“It can’t be the political culture of the CDU that a group can blackmail the party leadership with the threat to vote for an opposition measure. Suitability and achievement should be the benchmarks for management positions, not gender.” [need link]
Family affairs minister Kristina Schroeder, who has been a vocal opponent to implementing quotas, said she believes the 30% gender parity by 2020 could be achieved voluntarily.
Germany has previously resisted European Union proposals calling for board quotas, with German ministers describing forced quotas as a “needless handicap”.
A Bundestag vote is set for Thursday. A minimum 21 of the governing coalition’s parliamentarians will need to vote with the opposition in order for the legislation to pass.