Women are still shut out of the top posts in both politics and business in Europe despite some progress in promoting women's role, a EU report said here Thursday.
The report, "Women and men in decision-making 2007," said the proportion of women members in parliaments in European countries is "still well below the so-called critical mass of 30 percent deemed necessary for women to exert meaningful influence on politics."
According to the report, men outnumber women among ministers in national governments by around three to one. About 24 percent of them are women and 76 percent are men.
"Women are also highly under-represented in economic decision-making," the report said, adding that the central banks of all 27 EU member states are led by men.
The report also showed that 90 percent of board members in blue-chip-index companies are male and the figure has barely improved in recent years.
"Progress on getting more women decision-makers has been too slow. If we believe in the values of democracy, we cannot leave half of the population outside the structures of power," said Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla.
"Gender equality is also good for business. Our economies must reap the full potential of all our talents if we are to face up to global competition. This means smashing the glass ceiling once and for all," Spidla added.
However, women's role in politics has been improved somewhat with 24 percent of parliamentarians now women, up from 16 percent a decade ago.
The report also showed significant progress in promoting women within the central administrations of EU member states. Women currently have nearly 33 percent of positions in the top two levels of the hierarchy, compared to around 17 percent in 1999.
The proportion of women in similar positions within the EU institutions has also improved from 14 percent to just under 20 percent over the same period.
Source:Xinhua
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