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Spitzengremien großer Unternehmen: mehr Schubkraft für eine ausgewogene Repräsentation von Frauen und Männern nötig

Author

Listed:
  • Elke Holst
  • Anja Kirsch

Abstract

Germany’s large corporations still have a long way to go before achieving balanced representation of men and women on their boards. At the end of 2015, the share of women on the executive boards of the top 200 companies in Germany was a good six percent, an increase of less than one percentage point over 2014. The share of women on the supervisory boards of these top 200 companies was almost 20 percent although growth there has slowed. The DAX 30 performed slightly better in terms of women’s representation: the proportion of women on the executive boards of these companies was just under ten percent at the close of 2015 and the equivalent figure for supervisory boards was almost 27 percent. (In both cases, this represented an increase of more than two percentage points). Of the over 100 companies obliged to comply with a statutory 30-percent share of women for all new supervisory board appointments from January 2016, almost 28 percent had already met this quota by the end of 2015. Just under one-third of the companies had achieved a share of at least 20 percent but still less than 30 percent of female supervisory board members and were therefore well on their way to fulfilling the quota. Almost half of all DAX 30 companies met the quota. However, it is highly unlikely that the lion’s share of the remaining companies will follow these trailblazers voluntarily in the near future since 22 percent of the top 200 and 24 percent of TecDAX companies, as well as over one-third of SDAX companies, currently either have no female supervisory board members at all or at most one in ten. Moreover, the share of women on executive boards is extremely low in all the companies analyzed in the present study. Germany’s companies still have a long and difficult path ahead of them in order to achieve increased representation of women on their corporate boards. This makes it all the more imperative to adopt a coordinated approach to improve the career prospects of women by means of stringent framework conditions, also encompassing fiscal and family policy. Eine ausgewogene Repräsentation von Männern und Frauen in den Spitzengremien großer Unternehmen in Deutschland bleibt in weiter Ferne. In den Vorständen der 200 umsatzstärksten Unternehmen lag der Frauenanteil Ende vergangenen Jahres bei gut sechs Prozent – ein Anstieg von weniger als einem Prozentpunkt gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Die Aufsichtsräte waren zu fast 20 Prozent mit Frauen besetzt, allerdings hat sich die Dynamik abgeschwächt. Etwas besser war die Situation in den 30 größten börsennotierten Unternehmen: Im DAX-30 lag der Frauenanteil Ende 2015 in Vorständen bei knapp zehn Prozent (plus gut zwei Prozentpunkte) und in Aufsichtsräten bei fast 27 Prozent (plus gut zwei Prozentpunkte). Von den gut 100 Unternehmen, die ab 2016 bei Neubesetzungen ihres Aufsichtsrats Frauen bis zu einem Anteil von mindestens 30 Prozent berücksichtigen müssen, hatten fast 28 Prozent diese Quote Ende des Jahres 2015 bereits erfüllt. Knapp ein Drittel der Unternehmen waren mit einem Anteil von 20 bis unter 30 Prozent Aufsichtsrätinnen auf dem Weg dorthin. In der DAX-30-Gruppe erreichte nahezu die Hälfte der Unternehmen die Zielgröße. Dass die Masse der anderen Unternehmen den Vorreitern in absehbarer Zeit auf freiwilliger Basis folgt, ist unwahrscheinlich: Denn in 22 Prozent der Top-200- und 24 Prozent der TecDAX- sowie über einem Drittel der SDAX-Unternehmen ist derzeit entweder gar kein Aufsichtsratsmitglied oder höchstens jedes zehnte eine Frau. Der Anteil von Frauen in Vorständen ist zudem in allen untersuchten Unternehmensgruppen extrem gering. Der Weg zu mehr Frauen in Spitzengremien bleibt also lang und mühsam. Umso dringender ist eine Politik aus einem Guss, die durch stringente Rahmenbedingungen, auch in der Steuer- und Familienpolitik, die Karrierechancen von Frauen verbessert.

Suggested Citation

  • Elke Holst & Anja Kirsch, 2016. "Spitzengremien großer Unternehmen: mehr Schubkraft für eine ausgewogene Repräsentation von Frauen und Männern nötig," DIW Wochenbericht, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 83(2), pages 31-44.
  • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwob:83-2-1
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    board composition; board diversity; boards of directors; corporate boards; Europe; female directors; gender equality; gender quota; Germany; listed companies; management; private companies; public companies; supervisoryboards; women CEOs; women’s quota;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J59 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Other
    • J78 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Public Policy (including comparable worth)
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L32 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Enterprises; Public-Private Enterprises
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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