Women in the European Union: Between Symbolic Progress and Ongoing Gaps
2019 witnessed significant transformations in European Union institutions, highlighted by the rise of Ursula von der Leyen as the first woman to lead the European Commission, alongside Christine Lagarde’s appointment as President of the European Central Bank. This was not merely a temporary breakthrough, as von der Leyen was re-elected for a new term in 2024, and Kajsa Ollongren was appointed as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, while Roberta Metsola from Malta was re-elected as President of the European Parliament. Currently, the Parliament’s presidency includes 7 female vice-presidents out of a total of 14.
Gender Gaps Remain
Despite this symbolic progress, these achievements do not reflect actual gender equality within the European Union, particularly in leadership positions and highly specialized professional fields. The European Commission has set a goal for gender parity by the end of 2024, but this target has yet to be realized, with member states receiving an evaluation score of 71 out of 100 according to the European Institute for Gender Equality.
Women’s Representation in Government Positions
- Finland leads European countries with 63.16% of women in government.
- Spain follows with 47.83% and Sweden with 45.83%.
- Women hold the position of heads of government in only 4 out of 27 countries, and the presidency is held by women in just 2 countries.
Even at the municipal level, despite the implementation of the quota principle in some nations, local leadership remains dominated by men at 82.5% compared to 17.5% for women in France, although there has been a relative improvement in women’s participation following the 2020 elections.
Male Dominance in Finance and Business
Data from Eurostat 2023 indicates that about 3.7 million women occupy managerial positions, compared to 3.1 million in 2014, with variation across countries; Sweden, Latvia, and Poland have the highest rates at 43.7%, while the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Luxembourg have the lowest at 22.2%.
Despite EU regulations requiring listed companies to have women occupy at least 40% of non-executive board positions (or 33% of overall seats) by mid-2026, women in senior positions in German companies account for only 25.7%, while they make up around 35% of total managers across the EU, compared to 46% of the overall workforce.
Persistent Wage Gap
Though pay equality is a foundational principle of the European Union, women earn 12% less on average, with figures reaching 19% in Latvia, 18.3% in Austria, and 17.6% in Germany. Luxembourg stands out as an exception, where women’s wages slightly exceed men’s by 1%.
To address these gaps, the European Parliament adopted new pay transparency regulations in March 2023, allowing employees to access salary information and requiring companies to review their pay scales if a gap of 5% or more is identified, alongside mandating gender-neutral job postings and imposing penalties on violators.
Causes of Persistent Gaps
According to researcher Hossam al-Din Darwish, these gaps are less about systematic discrimination and more a result of social and cultural factors, including work hours, professional specialization, and women’s roles within the family. Women often work longer hours in unpaid roles such as childcare and housework, which reduces time for paid work and increases barriers to achieving leadership positions.
Disparities in Opportunities by Profession
Women’s opportunities in leadership roles are significantly lower in fields like science, technology, and engineering compared to education, health, and social care sectors. However, there are unjustified gaps even when positions between genders are equal; studies in France indicate a wage gap of about 4% despite considering factors such as experience, education level, and seniority.
Despite the symbolic achievements of women in the European Union, significant gaps remain in leadership roles, wages, and promotion opportunities. European policies need deeper reform that includes changing professional culture, supporting women in scientific and engineering fields, and redistributing unpaid work to ensure true equality.
