Lithuania improves gender equality but faces challenges in corporate representation, with new EU directives aiming to boost female board presence.
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Although Lithuanian indicators for gender equality in the workplace have recently improved, women remain underrepresented in the country’s labor market, leaving Lithuania among the least advanced EU states in this regard. While the overall European gender equality index rose by 1.6 points last year, Lithuania’s score improved by 3.5 points but still lags behind the EU average by 6.1 points. Women constitute only about 25% of the boards of major Lithuanian companies in 2021, ranking 19th out of 27 EU countries. New EU directives will mandate quotas for gender representation on boards and supervisory boards by 2026, which Lithuania has expanded to apply to larger companies based on asset value, revenue, or employee count. While some EU countries have implemented quotas with positive results, challenges remain, particularly in smaller companies. Experts suggest that implementing the directive should not be difficult given the high number of educated women in Lithuania, and that gender diversity on boards benefits companies financially and socially. However, experts emphasize that true equality depends on developing competencies and opportunities for all individuals, rather than merely meeting quotas based on gender.
