Year
2025
Authors
DE BEAUFORT Viviane, BEN CHAIB hicham , BESSIS Léah
Abstract
After ten years of debate, the Women on Boards Directive was finally adopted in 2022 and has been applicable in EU Member States since December 2024. A comparison of how Member States have transposed the Directive already reveals significant disparities. France, unsurprisingly, stands at the forefront of this issue—and more broadly, of policies promoting gender equality. In the realm of corporate governance, the Copé-Zimmermann Law of 2011 requires at least 40% representation of the underrepresented gender on the boards of large companies. This was followed ten years later by the Rixain Law, which sets targets of 30% of women in executive leadership roles by 2026 and 40% by 2029 for companies with over 1,000 employees. These legislative milestones provide a robust framework, making France a particularly relevant context not only for examining quantitative outcomes, but also for analyzing qualitative aspects of the women appointed to leadership roles. While statistics now clearly demonstrate the legal framework’s leverage effect—as detailed in Part 1 of this paper—Part 2 investigates the profiles of those who have reached the upper echelons of CAC 40 companies. This includes an analysis of their educational and professional backgrounds, the nature of their roles, any accumulation of directorships, and their positions within boards and executive committees.
DE BEAUFORT, V., BEN CHAIB, H. et BESSIS, L. (2025). Féminisation des conseils d’administration et de direction dans les groupes du CAC 40 – Etat des lieux analytique. WP 2505, ESSEC Business School.