women in IPA

EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database has expanded beyond the current EU Member States. We can now monitor how gender-balance in decision-making is developing also in the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, which are part of the EU programme called the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). EIGE supports the IPA beneficiaries in their efforts to monitor and foster gender equality in the region. This is what the data shows:

  • In May 2019, national governments across the 28 EU Member States had 30 % women members (senior ministers) compared to 20 % women in the governments of IPA beneficiaries. With 53 % women, the government of Albania achieved gender-balance, but other IPA beneficiaries are far behind. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina had more than 20 % women in the cabinet but the 24-member cabinet in Kosovo included only two women ministers (8 %).
  • The difference is narrower in national parliaments: 32 % in the EU compared to 26 % in IPA beneficiaries. Parliaments in North Macedonia (38 % women) and Serbia (37 % women) are close to gender-balance, but in all other cases women account for less than a third of members, notably only 17 % in Turkey.
  • In April 2019, the share of women amongst board members of the largest listed companies was 28 % for the EU Member States and 17 % among IPA beneficiaries.
  • Regarding the central banks, some IPA beneficiaries have reached a high level of gender balance and, on average; the IPA region is doing better than the EU. In 2019, women held 25 % of decision-making positions in the central banks in the EU Member States compared to 27 % in the IPA region. The central banks of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania were well gender-balanced with 50 % and 44 % women in top positions. Women in North Macedonia and Serbia held 33 % of the leadership positions, Montenegro 14 % and Turkey 9 %. More strikingly, there were no women in decision-making positions of the central bank in Kosovo.
  • In 2018, the Supreme Court judges across the 28 EU Member States included 41 % women compared to 25 % in the IPA beneficiaries. The latter result is heavily weighted by Turkey, which accounts for over 70 % of all the judges recorded with a particularly low proportion of women (16 %). Excluding Turkey, supreme courts in the remaining IPA beneficiaries are gender-balanced with 48 % women and 52 % men.
  • In 2018, women accounted for 36 % of civil servants (Level 1 position) in the EU Member States but only 26 % in the IPA beneficiaries.

Figure: Share of women in decision-making positions, EU-28 and EU candidate countries and potential candidates (IPA beneficiaries).

women on boards

Data for Supreme Court judges, civil servants (Level 1), and national social partners refer to 2018. Data for national parliaments and governments refer to May 2019 whilst largest listed companies reflects the situation in April 2019.
Source: EIGE Gender Statistics Database.

Data collection for IPA beneficiaries is funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.

All data for IPA beneficiaries and 28 EU Member States can be found through the Women and Men in Decision-making entry point of the Gender Statistics Database.

Further information

Since 2017, EIGE collects and produces harmonised, comparable gender statistics in the area of women and men in decision-making (politics; public administration; judiciary; business and finance; social partners and NGOs; environment and climate change; media; education, science and research).

EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database provides statistical evidence that can support and complement the European Commission’s Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016 - 2019 and support the Member States to monitor their progress.