In the media
Women in leadership: "As long as the operational pipelines stay unbalanced, access to the top will be too"
Quotas succeeded in bringing women onto boards. But the doors of executive committees remain too often closed to them, says Denis Terrien of the Institut Français des Administrateurs.
"There are not many laggards left": the CAC 40 companies playing the game on women in leadership — and the others
From 1 March, the law sets a 30% quota of women among senior executives and leadership bodies at large companies, rising to 40% in 2029. Marie-Pierre Rixain, who initiated the text, is confident.
Large companies: women now hold nearly 30% of executive committee seats
In France, companies with more than 1,000 employees must have at least 30% women in their most senior leadership bodies from 1 March 2026. By 2029 the figure rises to 40%, under the Rixain law.
Women hold just 10% of top jobs in the SBF 120 and the CAC 40
Women's presence in leadership bodies rose two points in a year, yet the proportion of women at the top of France's largest companies remains a small minority.
Of 240 CEO and chair positions, only 24 are held by women
Progress is emerging on women in leadership as the Rixain law reaches its first milestone. But women still struggle to reach the very top of large companies, holding only 10% of chair and CEO roles across the SBF 120 and the CAC 40. Structural barriers remain to be broken.
Women's route to the chief executive's office is still full of obstacles
Women have taken their place on SBF 120 boards, not least chairing specialist committees, but they still cannot break through to the top of the executive or of the board itself. A reinforced glass ceiling: women are still not reaching the head of France's large listed companies.
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