ABSTRACT
Implementation of equal opportunities for women and men necessitates both legal and socio-economic encouragement. This holds true for female representation on decision-making positions in politics, economy and society. There are several factors which hinder women’s presence in this area that differ among European countries. However some common tendencies are visible. To identify them, the authors study the cases of Poland and Estonia that are both EU Member States since 2004.
The aim of the chapter is to analyze and discuss women's presence in decision-making positions illustrated by an example of their representation on corporate boards in Poland and Estonia, while taking into consideration a broader background of the EU gender equality policy. For this reason, the chapter draws from the perspective of the EU and its approach to gender equality as a reference frame and inspiration for the developments in the discussed EU Member States. In this context, the following research questions were formulated. What is the situation in both states? Do they and, if yes, how do they respond to the EU efforts aiming to guarantee gender equality in politics, economy and society? Are there any good practices to follow? Therefore, qualitative research methods were broadly used in this chapter, including: the analysis of acts of law and other official documents at the EU and national levels, the content analysis, the case study approach and the comparative perspective. These were supplemented with the analysis of quantitative data.
The chapter seeks to draw out the fact that the lack of EU legislation on women’s representation on corporate boards, resulting in divergence or the absence of such regulation at national level in EU Member States, including Poland and Estonia, hinders achievement of gender equality in this area.
