Quotas

Economics

Do Gender Quotas Work?

Germany, France and, up to a point, the United States brought in quotas to raise the share of women in leadership. Did they work?

By Raphael Bauer November 10, 2026 30 min read

Four of the 40 companies in Germany’s DAX are run by a woman. Four of the 40 in France’s CAC 40. In the United States, 48 of the 500 in the S&P 500. Three countries, three different approaches to the question, and much the …