Sánchez announces a law that will force compliance with parity in governments and decision-making bodies of companies

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that next Tuesday the Council of Ministers will approve the processing of the Law on Equal Representation of women and men in decision-making bodies, including the Council of Ministers itself and the boards of directors of the big enterprises.

Sánchez made this announcement in an act to commemorate International Women’s Day, four days after 8M, which is celebrated in the Casa de Campo Convention Pavilion and which has been attended by a thousand people.

It is a norm that will be “a reference in Europe”, they indicate from the PSOE, and sends a clear message: “Not one step back in the defense of equality between women and men”.

Zipper lists and parity governments

Thus, with this law, men and women will join the lists with a “total alternation.” Today, only 44% of the seats in Congress or 39% in the Senate are occupied by women, recall the socialists.

According to the draft law, the electoral candidacies must have an equal composition of women and men, integrating the lists by persons of both sexes arranged alternately. The reform will be applied to all electoral processes: elections of deputies to Congress, municipal elections, members of island councils and island councils, deputies to the European Parliament and members of the Legislative Assemblies of the Communities. It will also apply when the candidacies for the Senate are grouped into lists (article 171 LOREG).

In addition, in the appointment of the holders of the Vice-Presidencies and the Ministries of the Government of Spain, the principle of balanced presence of women and men will be guaranteed.

The same will happen in large companies. Those affected by this reform must ensure that their board of directors has a composition with the presence of at least 40% of directors of the less represented sex, and they will ensure that this composition also concurs in the senior management of the company. A regulation that will be applied to all listed companies, “also to those entities considered, according to the Account Audit Law, as public interest entities, when they meet the following requirements: 1) average number of workers employed in the year greater than 250; 2) net amount of the annual turnover greater than €50 million or total asset items greater than €43 million”.

All the governing boards of the professional associations must also follow this rule, with 40% women at the helm. This standard may be applied gradually, so that by June 30, 2026 the previous percentage has been reached.

A percentage that will also be applied to juries for awards or public recognition.