Politics

SPD against the special regulation in gender equality quotas

Heiko Maas (SPD), Federal Minister of Justice, is convinced of the beneficial effects of gender equality quotas. Proposed legislation has been awaiting approval since June 20 and the Minister has continually defended it against onslaughts from the employers’ camp. From 2016 onwards, the Supervisory Boards of companies listed on the stock exchange must respect a blanket gender quota of 30%. During the “Deutsche Corporate Governance Kodex” conference in Berlin, Maas stated that the quota would make a substantial contribution towards the German economy as a whole, drawing from a treasure of immense value. No longer will exceptions be tolerated among German companies. The law on quotas is a necessary phase to breach the privileged status of males in the economic world.  In 2013 a mere 15.1 percent of the top slots in the 200 most important companies in Germany were held by women.

The observation that there is a dearth of qualified women is a fiction, according to the Minister. In addition to the constitutional duty of making gender equality universal, gender related quotas have effects of an economic nature. On the one hand, Germany complains about the lack of a skilled workforce while the vast potential of highly skilled women remains for the most part untapped.