On 14 November 2012, the EU Commission adopted a proposal to achieve a legal quota of 40% women in non-executive board member positions in publicly listed companies. The proposal requires the approximately 5,000 publicly listed companies in the EU to fill 40% of such board member positions with women by 2020. With this decision, the discussion has become part of the political agenda throughout Europe. To take a closer look at the rules in Europe, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs commissioned a study.

The study is divided into two parts. In the first part, the situation in Switzerland is briefly described. The special focus is on companies partially owned by the state. The reason for this focus is that as an owner, the Confederation can influence these companies directly. The annual reports of the companies were analysed in regard to information on women in leadership positions. To supplement this information, structured interviews were conducted with five chairpersons of various boards of companies within the Confederation's sphere of influence.

The second part of the study provides a systematic overview of the approaches that have been introduced in Europe. Results of a literature review and interviews with representatives of various European countries are used to demonstrate experiences with quotas and their impact.