European leadership remains overwhelmingly male

Nov 19, 2009, 10:23 GMT

Brussels - Young women perform better than their male counterparts on their final university exams and are on average finished with their studies sooner.

In Germany for example the number of female freshmen at colleges and universities has been greater than the number of men for many years.

Despite these statistics one thing remains stubbornly the same: Women in top positions at large enterprises and important economic institutions are still a rarity. Economics and finance are still largely a male domain within the European Union.

No German company listed on the stock exchange is led by a woman. At the German central bank there are no women taking part in important decision-making processes and and none of the EU member states has a women at its helm, according to European Commission data.

'Women virtually are not found in top positions,' said Professor Juergen Volkert of Pforzheim college, who has conducted a study of the professional situation of women for the German federal government.

By the end of their studies women do not stand at a disadvantage to their male colleagues, after that it becomes harder. In recent years women have taken the upper hand among economics faculties and the majority of law students are female.

'A portion of the women are lost on the promotion ladder, but the decisive disadvantages occur after graduation,' said Volkert.

In the so-called middle leadership level only one of four positions is occupied by a woman in the 27 EU countries, data collected by the EU Commission shows.

In Germany about 30 per cent of the bosses - defined as people who in some form hold leading positions - are women. In reality women are hardly found in top positions. The further up the career ladder one goes, the thinner their ranks become.

Glass ceiling remains an appropriate description of the situation of women in economic enterprises, Volkert said.

'At some point women ask themselves whether to choose children or career,' said Volkert. And even when they decide against having children, they may still be regarded as a risk factor by their superiors.

Classic role models are widely prevalent in the leadership levels of many European enterprises. 'Behind each director is usually a women who is not professionally employed and whose predominant role is looking after her partner's social contacts,' said Volkert.

The few women who are in top positions typically have a partner who is equally high on the career ladder from whom little support can be expected, said Volkert. This can also be a career impediment.

Although men are seated firmly in the director's chair in all countries of the world, there are large differences within the EU member countries. While the ratio of women bosses in most large countries is around 30 per cent (France has the highest at 39 per cent), Cyprus with 12 per cent and Malta with 10 per cent are clearly lagging behind.

Cultural differences play a role, Volkert said. However, the quality of child care in each country is especially important.