NEWS

The country was the first to introduce quotas for female board members in 2003, a policy which has since been partly replicated in several European countries and is about to be introduced in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Malaysia, according to GlobeWomen, a female-only lobby group.

Rikke Lind, Norway’s trade and industry state secretary, said she had hoped  the quota would have a contagious effect on non-listed AS Norwegian companies.  However, women currently account for 17 per cent of board members of these  companies, compared to the 40 per cent level reached on publicly listed ASA  companies in 2008 when the two-year grace period for the quota expired.

“It’s not going fast enough,” says Ms Lind. “During 2012 we must be finished  and prepared from the government [side], I hope.”