By 30 June 2026, large publicly listed companies across the European Union will be required to increase the share of women on their management and supervisory boards. The obligation stems from the EU’s Women on Boards directive, which aims to improve gender balance in corporate leadership. In Poland, the new rules will apply to more than 100 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. At present, however, only about one in ten of these companies meets the planned requirements. Poland is also significantly behind schedule in adopting the legislation needed to implement the directive into national law.
“It is the right direction to guarantee women’s presence on management and supervisory boards through legal measures,” said Michał Wawrykiewicz from the Civic Coalition, representing the European People’s Party, in an interview with the Newseria news agency. “Over the past decades we have seen that this change does not happen naturally. Women face greater barriers in reaching higher levels of the professional hierarchy due to many circumstances. If European societies have not been able to achieve this balance on their own, then legislative support is justified.”
Gender quotas on supervisory boards are mandated by the EU’s Women on Boards directive adopted in 2022. The regulation requires publicly listed companies that employ at least 250 people and have either annual revenues above €50 million or total assets exceeding €43 million to meet one of two targets by 30 June 2026. Companies must either ensure that women hold at least 40% of non-executive director positions (supervisory board roles) or that women account for at least 33% of all board positions, including both executive and non-executive roles.
Within the major indices of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WIG20, mWIG40, and sWIG80), around 76.4% of companies meet the directive’s size and financial thresholds. This includes all companies listed in the WIG20 index, 34 companies from mWIG40, and 53 from sWIG80—107 companies in total. According to the study “Women in the Leadership of Listed Companies in Poland. Where Are We After 10 Years?” conducted by the Business Leaders Foundation, only two companies in the WIG20 index currently meet the targets proposed in Poland’s draft legislation implementing the directive. Among companies in the mWIG40 index, ten meet the requirements.
The foundation’s research shows that in 2024 women accounted for just 13.6% of management board members and 18.7% of supervisory board members in Polish listed companies. More than 60% of companies had no women at all on their management boards. Although periodic reports indicate gradual improvement in female representation, the pace of change remains far too slow.
“There is still a long way to go. I believe the directive will be implemented quickly in Poland and that we will be able to catch up with EU trends,” Wawrykiewicz said.
The deadline for adopting national legislation implementing the directive passed in December 2024, yet Poland has still not finalized the law. A draft prepared by the Ministry of Justice remains under government review. Experts warn that given the current level of female representation in corporate leadership, companies may have limited time to adapt once the legislation finally comes into force.
According to Wawrykiewicz, increasing women’s representation on boards would have a positive impact on both the European and Polish economies. “The competencies that women bring to supervisory boards, management boards, and other corporate leadership structures would benefit the Polish economy,” he said.
A report by Hays Poland titled “Women in the Labour Market 2025” shows that prejudice and gender discrimination remain the biggest barriers to women’s professional advancement and participation in the labour market. In a survey of more than 3,500 respondents conducted via LinkedIn, 46% identified discrimination as the main obstacle. Other barriers included the gender pay gap (22%), inflexible working conditions (20%), and a lack of support for professional development (12%).
According to the latest data from Eurostat, the gender pay gap in the EU reached 11.1% in 2024. In Poland, the difference between women’s and men’s earnings in comparable positions stands at around 4% in favor of men.
“There are many barriers that unfortunately make women’s career paths significantly more difficult,” Wawrykiewicz said. “Motherhood itself is a natural challenge, and many women decide not to return to the labour market after that period. This has negative consequences for the economy because many valuable competencies remain unused. Because of these inequalities, systemic and legislative solutions should address these needs.”
