Proportion of women rises without a rate barely

The DIW investigated companies adhere to quotas for women in Supervisory boards. Set but hardly any more women than the quota dictates. In other countries, the women's quota in Supervisory boards to ensure that more women sit on the boards. In Germany, that doesn't work. The Federal government is leading by bad example: In the companies in which he is involved has decreased, the proportion of women on the boards of even. the Henrike Roßbach, Berlin

The quota acts - but only where it applies. So, to summarise what has happened in this country in the past year in terms of women in leadership positions. In the 100 biggest German companies by turnover, the share of women has increased in the Supervisory boards of a good three percentage points to 28.4 per cent; in the 200 largest companies, there were points in just under 27 percent and an increase of 2.3 percent. The managers Barometer is regularly collected by the German Institute for economic research (DIW). On Wednesday it was presented in Berlin.

The financial industry has seen the DIW separately: The proportion of women in the boards of the 100 largest banks in Germany stagnated in 2018 at just under nine percent. In the 60 largest insurance companies increased by a percentage point to almost ten percent. The proportion of women in the Supervisory bodies in the year 2018 at around 23 percent.

Since 2016 to have listed on the stock exchange and on a basis of parity co-determined companies, where employers and employees are equally represented in the Supervisory bodies, at least 30 percent women on their Supervisory boards sit. That the in in the a total of 104 companies that were the end of 2018 under this quota. There, the proportion of women in the Supervisory boards at the end of the year with just under 33 per cent, almost three percentage points higher than in the previous year. The Dax-30-companies were also on the proportion of women is a third. However, they had achieved this share in the previous year. The DIW researchers Elke Holst and Catherine pull Wrohlich to the fact that nothing has changed, the conclusion that "apparently, many companies in their efforts to win women for the Supervisory bodies to Reach the legally required percentage of Women in Supervisory boards back to, or even the whole set".

in Addition, the latest Figures to be another, more sobering realization: The women's quota for Supervisory boards seems to have no special impact on the members of the management Board. There is no quota; the hope was that more women on corporate boards would result in women the rise in the members of the Board easier. The DIW report States that studies have shown that there is in Norway or Australia evidence of such "Spillover"effects. In Germany this has not happened yet. At least in the short term should not be assumed that "a higher proportion of women in Supervisory boards to be automatically leads to a higher proportion of women in boards of Directors", - stated in the study. This could, however, give those a boost, the demand for the members of the management Board of company a women's quota.

In the boards of companies that fall under the Supervisory ratio, also sat last year, only 8.5 percent of women. And: It went ahead, because compared with the 7.9 percent of the previous year, was only a minimal improvement. Overall, a woman on the Board, sits only every third of these companies at all - and the chair has only two companies, a woman.

In the group of the largest 100 companies, the proportion of women has, however, reached in the boards for the first time, the Ten-percent mark. However, almost 60 percent of the members of the management Board are also there for a woman. And the growth was also in this group, with almost one and a half percentage points in just rapidly.

it is Interesting to note another aspect: The policy itself is not moving forward is really a good example, as regards women in top positions. Also in the 60 portfolio companies in the Federal government, a woman on the Board, and the share of women on Executive boards decreased in the past year, even sitting in each of the third party; by around four percentage points to 14 percent. This was "a turning point", write the DIW researchers. Previously, the proportion of women from 2010 to 2017 had risen continuously from almost seven to almost 18 percent.