📈 Global Quota Laws & Lessons for Corporate Gender Parity

• Sri Lanka Context: Ranks 130th out of 143 on the WEF Global Gender Gap Index 2025. Despite high female education (99.8%) and health scores (97.9%), 40% of the top 30 CSE-listed companies have no female directors. • Case Study Findings: - Norway (40% Quota): Raised female board seats from ~9% to 43% by 2008 under severe penalties, but saw limited trickle-down into executive roles (only 4% female CEOs). - France (40% Quota): Board representation reached ~46.4% in 2024. Success led to the Rixain Act targeting 40% female senior management by 2030. - India (1 Woman Mandate): Resulted in compliance (Nifty-500 averages ~20% women), but 223 of 500 companies appointed only the single mandatory minimum. • Key Policy Takeaways: - Mandatory legislation outperforms voluntary codes, with post-quota appointed women consistently holding high qualifications. - Boardroom quotas require complementary floor-level interventions to improve broader female labor force participation and executive pipelines.