German upper house seeks women quota in boardrooms

BERLIN (AP) ? The German Parliament's upper house is calling for a mandatory quota for women on companies' supervisory boards.

The house, which represents Germany's 16 states, voted Friday for a motion that would require large companies to have at least 20 percent of women on their supervisory boards ? the equivalent of a U.S. board of directors ? starting in 2018, and 40 percent five years later, German news agency dapd reported.

The motion now goes to Parliament's lower house, which Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition controls. The coalition is divided on the issue and it's unclear whether a quota could secure a majority there.

The quota was proposed in the upper house by center-left state governments. Two states led by Merkel's conservative party joined ranks with them on Friday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-21-Germany-Women%20in%20Boardrooms/id-31b810ba320544aeb7c123ea95a9e59f

clayton kershaw tyler perry face transplant maundy thursday fab melo google glasses kim kardashian and kanye west