“Initiatives by the EU to Increase Women in Management Positions and Quota Opinions in the Baltics”

The European Union (EU) has launched a series of initiatives to increase the proportion of women in management positions in large companies and reduce the gender pay gap. According to a survey by the organization “Novatore” and the research agency “Norstat Latvija”, women and men in the Baltics have different opinions about the possible introduction of gender quotas in the top management positions of state and municipal capital companies.

52% of Latvian women and 51% of respondents aged 18 to 25 are convinced of the need for quotas, by determining that at least 40% of top management positions should be occupied by women, while men (76%) and the population over 50 have a strongly negative attitude age (67%).

A significant difference in opinions can also be observed when assessing the current situation in state and municipal capital companies – while 52% of men are convinced that there is already an equal proportion of women and men in the top management positions of capital companies, only 27% of women believe so. In Lithuania, society as a whole is more supportive of the introduction of quotas than in Latvia, while in Estonia it is more skeptical.

By July 2026, all large listed companies in the EU with at least 250 employees will have to take steps to ensure gender representation in management positions. Companies must ensure that 40% of non-executive directorships, or 33% of all directors, are of a hitherto underrepresented gender.

“Although the EU directive directly applies only to individual Latvian companies, the practice of gender equality should be implemented on a much wider scale. According to “Lursoft” data, both sexes are not equally represented in the management of Latvia’s 500 largest companies, and only about 25% of management positions are women. State and capital companies could be a positive example in promoting gender equality and diversity. Quotas are already in place in several European countries, such as France, the Netherlands and Belgium, and international studies show that companies with more women in leadership positions show better financial results. it benefits both the national economy and the entire society. Setting quotas is also one of the solutions for reducing the pay gap between the sexes,” says Baiba Rubesa, co-founder of the “Novatore” organization.

In March, the “Novatore Impact Summit” in collaboration with the technology company “Accenture launched an idea sprint to reduce the pay gap between men and women. 16 business managers and experts from different fields are participating in it to create innovative solutions to the pay issue. The results of the idea sprint will be presented at the Novatore Impact Summit conference on April 27.