Public wants women on board
That is according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.
Only about one in 10 people sitting around the boardroom table of big companies in Ireland are women, and the survey found the public wants greater gender balance.
Half believe boards should be 50% female and 50% male, with another quarter saying at least 40% of board members should be women.
The European Commission is threatening to legislate that at least one third of directorships in big listed companies be held by women by 2015.
Only 10% of those surveyed were against having such a law.
Asked why gender balance would be a good thing, most said it would be better for companies’ economic performance and would improve risk management.
Few surveyed accept that women are less interested than men in positions of responsibility, or do not have the necessary qualities and skills or have less freedom because of their family responsibilities.
The fact that so few women were on bank boards in Ireland — there was just one on the board of Anglo — has been blamed for the irresponsible gambling attitude taken by so many financial institutions that led to them having to be rescued by taxpayers, according to Nessa Childers, Labour MEP.
But citizens will have a battle on their hands to get greater equality on company boards. Ms Childers asked 100 Irish companies last year to sign a pledge to put more women in their boardrooms. “There were very, very few responses,” she said.
Across Europe the reaction was equally poor with just 24 companies signing the pledge promoted by EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding to have 30% women on their boards by 2015 and 40% by 2020.
The commission launched a public consultation yesterday that will run until May 28, seeking ideas and views to redress the imbalance.
