2023-09-08 03:20:25
The Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Marie-Colline Leroy (Ecolo), wants to see the management committees of Bel 20 companies include at least a third of women.
The management bodies of large Belgian companies must urgently feminize, believes Marie-Colline Leroy (Ecolo), Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity. To this end, it will soon present a detailed proposal to the government.
In our country, quotas already exist for the boards of directors of listed companies. They must be composed of women for at least one third. But this does not apply to management committees. Gender diversity suffers, says the Secretary of State. It therefore also wants the management seats of companies on the Brussels Bel 20 stock market index to be occupied by at least one third of members of each sex. In the boards of directors, she wants the proportion to go from 33% to at least 40%.
Belgium below the European average
No doubt that management teams remain male strongholds in our country. A study by De Tijd revealed that women hold just 14% of management seats. A recent study commissioned by Marie-Colline Leroy in June confirmed this. Belgium is therefore below the European average of 19%. “Unfortunately, we find that quotas are necessary to increase the number of women on the management committees of listed companies,” Marie-Colline Leroy told our editorial staff.
The Secretary of State is primarily targeting companies in the Bel 20. “We must focus on the largest companies, those with the strongest shoulders and with more staff to achieve the objectives.”
“There is no question of going straight to sanctions and souring relations with big business.”
Marie-Colline Leroy, who took office unexpectedly following the resignation of Sarah Schlitz, wishes to continue the momentum of her ecologist colleague. It thus intends, through a bill, extend the existing quota law for listed companies.
It also refers to a European directive which must be transposed into Belgian law. According to Marie-Colline Leroy, this directive stipulates that all Member States of the European Union must introduce a quota of women of 33% in management committees and 40% in boards of directors by the end of the year. year 2026.
However, some lawyers believe that the directive does not directly target management committees. Still, the system is already in place in France.
Harsher penalties?
It is not excluded that new sanctions will be introduced into the law. But Marie-Colline Leroy first wishes to discuss it with the Ministers of Justice concerned. “There is no question of going directly to sanctions and poisoning relations with big companies,” she insists.
“Under the impetus of the law on quotas, the proportion of women on boards of directors has increased from 8% in 2008 to more than 33%.”
The Secretary of State specifies that she provides for a “ample period of transition“, referring to the boards of directors which were granted 10 years to achieve the legal objectives in 2011. It wishes to take into account the situation of the directors already appointed and the duration of their mandate. In the current legislation, the only sanctions foreseen are the cancellation of an appointment if the required quota is not reached.
His proposal is, in the eyes of Marie-Colline Leroy, “a not very complicated measurement“. “Often people see quotas as something difficult and restrictive, but that’s not the case at all. The extension is also a temporary measure that can be removed as soon as the glass ceiling is broken.”
Practice shows that quotas work, underlines the Secretary of State. “Spurred by the law on quotas, the proportion of women on boards of directors has risen from 8% in 2008 to more than 33%. Quotas have also proved their worth in Parliament. The number of women there rose from 16% to more than 40% in 2019 following the introduction of quotas for the composition of electoral lists. Without quotas, we waste time in our management committees.”
Gender balance
Ultimately, Marie-Colline Leroy would prefer to see boards of directors and management committees evolve towards a balance between men and women. “Society is made up of 52% women, why is it not the same for the composition of the management committees of Belgian companies?”
“Women know exactly how maternity leave, parental leave and care leave impact their careers.”
The presence of a greater number of women in management committees would make it possible to combat “career-related discrimination”, explains the Secretary of State. “The management committees are responsible for day-to-day management and have a major impact on the corporate culture. The presence of more women in the management committees would bring different ideas and experiences.”
Marie-Colline Leroy refers to the maternity leave, parental leave and care leave. “Women know exactly what the impact of these leaves is on their careers. These discussions must take place within the company.” She also considers that companies where parity is respected in the management committees are more prosperous and more sustainable.
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