German MPs have voted 320-277 against implementing binding gender quotas on German company boards, rejecting a law that would have seen Gemany’s largest companies have 40% of their board seats occupied by women by 2023.
According to the Telegraph, the German Parliament voted against the law Thursday, following weeks of tension over the over the law with MPs from both sides openly sparring over the issue.
Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) managed to stave off an internal rebellion over the issue after agreeing to introduce a 30% quota in their election manifesto. The rebellion was led by Labor Minister Ursula von der Leye who threatened to break ranks unless statutory quotas were introduced.
Germany currently has one of the lowest levels of female representation at leadership levels, sitting at just 4%.
Family Minister Krisitna Shhroder who opposes legally binding quotas, accused the opposition of hypocrisy, arguing the party wasn’t doing enough to ensure that more women are guaranteed leadership positions in places they would actually have the power to implement such rules.
And despite the highly symbolic position of being Germany’s first female chancellor and filling almost a third of her cabinet with women, Merkel has remained resistant to a fixed quota system.
Before the vote on Thursday Merkel defended herself against criticism resulting from the inner party rebellion.
As a major political party, the CDU has long sought to address the issue of getting more women into leadership positions, she told German newspaper Bild, adding that the issue was an important one for many women in her party.
“It’s of great importance to many women in the CDU, not just Ursula von der Leyen, how we shape the issue of quotas,” Merkel said.
She also noted that “issues like gender equality and family policy … are discussed with great passion in the CDU. And one learns that not all women think alike.”