EU Mulls Gender Quotas to Crack Glass Ceiling

 　　Francoise Roels is the only woman among 12 board members at Cofinimmo. But that's about to change. The top brass¹ of the leading listed real-estate investor² in Belgium will soon have a completely different set-up.

　　Last year Belgium introduced gender³ quotas⁴. All publicly listed companies have six years to ensure at least one-third of their board positions are held by women -- or face financial sanctions.

　　Roels was appointed before this came into effect -- picked for her qualifications and "not because of the fact that I wear or do not wear skirts," she says.

　　But she welcomes the prospect⁵ of having new female colleagues at the highest level. It will benefit everyone -- including men -- to shake up the way boards are selected, she says. "This professionalization of the process will also enable other types of men to come on the board."

　　According to Roels, in the past it was "often said that it was a kind of a practice that CEOs or board members asked fellow CEOs and fellow board members of their networks to join the boards, while if you will professionalize the way of collecting your board members you come up with different types of persons."

　　Growing Trend Across Europe

　　Proponents⁶ of quotas say they are needed to ensure greater gender equality. But they also argue that they make sense for companies, too, pointing to studies suggesting that companies with more women in top positions are more profitable.

　　But there's also strong opposition⁷ to mandatory⁸ quotas among most EU member states, which point out that unanimity⁹ is required to pass laws at EU-level in this policy field.

　　The trailblazer was non-EU member Norway, which in 2004 established quotas and sanctions such as the dissolution of a company if women held fewer than 40 percent of board positions.

　　France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain have also adopted similar gender quotas.

　　A recent poll by Eurobarometer suggests 75 percent favor legislation on gender balance in company boards. And in Germany, some 300 journalists recently called for media companies there to ensure women hold at least 30 percent of management positions.

　　Quotas From Brussels?

　　Now Brussels is contemplating¹⁰ EU-wide legislation. The EU commissioner¹¹ for fundamental rights, Viviane Reding, wants women to hold 30 percent of board positions by 2015 -- rising to 40 percent by 2020. That's a tall order considering that currently only one in seven board members -- or 13.7 percent -- are women.

　　The slow pace has prompted Reding to canvass¹² opinion among companies and citizens across the bloc¹³, asking whether quotas are necessary and, if so, what sanctions firms should face.

　　Reding said this week that this consultation¹⁴ could result in legislation after the summer. "You know that for myself I made it always very clear," she says. "I am not fond of quotas but I very much like what quotas do, and maybe it is necessary to do what quotas do."

　　Critics note that both Sweden and Finland boast figures of over 25 percent female representation on company boards -- without the help of quotas.

　　...Or For Each Country to Decide?

　　Sweden's minister of equality, Nyamko Sabuni, wants more women on company boards but is a strong opponent of mandatory quotas. She says that this question must be solved in each member state, not through legislation from Brussels.

　　"I think that many of us think that this is a national issue. This was a thing that was brought up during the discussions. We have after all reached different levels in this area," Sabuni says.

　　"We must be allowed to find our own and different solutions. We can exchange experiences, we can learn from each other. But we cannot today start with common legislation when we are on such different levels."

　　Instead of quotas, Sabuni supports the idea of creating more time for women to make a career by promoting more affordable¹⁵ and accessible child care.

　　These thoughts are also echoed by Pedro Oliveira of BusinessEurope, which represents companies across the continent.

　　"It is true that the progress has not been so fast, so speedy," Oliveira says. "Nevertheless, we have to understand that this is not about filling up numbers. It is also about giving the possibility to women, though child-care policies etc., to create an environment where you gradually can allow women to be part of boards.

1 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

2 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

9 unanimity   

n.全体一致，一致同意

参考例句：

• These discussions have led to a remarkable unanimity.这些讨论导致引人注目的一致意见。
• There is no unanimity of opinion as to the best one.没有一个公认的最好意见。

10 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

12 canvass   

v.招徕顾客，兜售；游说；详细检查，讨论

参考例句：

• Mr. Airey Neave volunteered to set up an organisation to canvass votes.艾雷·尼夫先生自告奋勇建立了一个拉票组织。
• I will canvass the floors before I start painting the walls.开始粉刷墙壁之前，我会详细检查地板。

13 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

14 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

15 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。