More Women Would Do Europe Some Good

Wherever you look: men in dark suits. Never before has a woman headed the Commission, the Council or the European Central Bank. It is about time to change that, says expert Corinna Hörst.

SN: You wrote a highly regarded article titled “Europe Has a Women Problem”. How do you substantiate this assertion?

Corinna Hörst: The problem lies in the numbers. Nine female commissioners out of 28 is by far not enough. The female share in the European Parliament is only 30 percent. This is simply not representative.

SN: The biggest share of women in the European Parliament is in the Finnish delegation with 78 percent women, followed by Ireland with 55 percent, which is far above average. Germany, however, only has 36.5 percent women. How do you explain these discrepancies?

Corinna Hörst: In every country the reasons are different. Nordic countries are traditionally more aware of gender parity. In Ireland, on the other hand, for many years there has been the organization Women for Elections, which supports women in applying for political office and prepares them specifically for a political job and leadership position. Furthermore, parties in Ireland have to pay fines if they are not diverse enough. This also leads to a change of heart.