(de-news.net) – Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) has announced her intention to examine, within the current legislative period, the potential justification for imposing sanctions on corporations that fail to establish legally binding targets for the representation of women in leadership positions. While she had formerly regarded statutory quotas as superfluous, she has since acknowledged that substantial progress in gender equality cannot be achieved without clear legislative mandates.

In addressing the broader issue of female representation in executive roles, Hubig observed that Germany continues to lag significantly behind the European Union average. She attributed many of the recent advancements in this domain to decisive legislative interventions. Expressing concern over a resurgence of traditional gender stereotypes, she warned that previously secured gains in gender equality are increasingly being called into question. She reaffirmed that the pursuit of equal rights and genuine parity between men and women remains a paramount objective of political governance, and voiced particular alarm over the declining proportion of women serving in parliamentary institutions.

Referring to the unsuccessful nomination of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf to the Federal Constitutional Court, Hubig argued that women occupying public office are often subject to more rigorous scrutiny than their male counterparts. She raised the question of whether a male candidate espousing comparable views would have encountered an equivalent level of criticism.