Study on the proportion of women: "There is finally movement in the management floors of the first stock exchange league"

Women are gradually advancing in the top tier of German stock market heavyweights.

According to data from the organization “Women in the Supervisory Boards” (Fidar), the proportion of female managers on the executive boards of the 40 DAX companies has risen from 18.5 to 19.1 percent (as of May 6th) since the beginning of the year.

In addition, two stock market heavyweights are expected to be managed solely by women in the future.

Fidar Vice President Anja Seng welcomed this development, but urged further progress.

"There is finally movement in the management floors of the first stock exchange league," said Seng, also with a view to the appointment of Carla Kriwet as CEO of the dialysis group Fresenius Medical Care from 2023. So far, the CEO of the pharmaceutical and technology group Merck, Belén Garijo, is the only woman , which runs a Dax group alone.

However, Germany is still lagging behind when it comes to equal participation, criticized Seng.

In other countries, female CEOs have long been taken for granted.

In her opinion, however, the new requirements for more women on executive boards ensure that managers always move into the top floor before the regulation comes into effect in August.

The Bundestag and Bundesrat introduced the law last June.

It stipulates that in future at least one woman must sit on the board of directors in listed and co-determined companies with more than 2,000 employees and more than three board members.

From August 1 of this year, this must be taken into account when filling positions.

According to the information, half of the 40 Dax companies now have a proportion of women of 20 percent or more in the top floor.

"This shows that there are enough qualified women for top positions in business," said Seng.

However, the gender quota for supervisory boards and the minimum participation requirement for board members would apply to far too few companies.

“Diversity in management should also become normal for DAX companies that are not subject to the regulations, as well as for other private and public companies,” demanded the Fidar Vice President.