Merkel coalition to require more women on German boards

Berlin

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel's coalition has agreed to move forward with a plan to mandate that more women fill non-executive posts at German companies. The governing Christian Democrats and Social Democrats will require listed companies to allocate 30 per cent of their supervisory board seats to women, the two parties said. The draft bill will be presented early next month to the cabinet.

While Europe's largest economy has a female leader and women hold several key government posts, including the Defence Ministry, just 6 per cent of management board positions and 22 per cent of supervisory board seats are held by women at companies in Germany's benchmark DAX Index, according to the Economy Ministry's website. The proposal has met opposition from some executives within the business community, who say the government shouldn't mandate who receives top positions.