The European Commission has announced proposals to increase the number of women on top publicly-listed corporate boards.
The proposal, if successful, will see the number of females on boards rise to 40% by 2020.
At present, the average figure in Ireland is 8.9%, while the current EU figure stands at 13.7%.
The issue will go to the European Parliament for debate before being passed to EU governments for approval.
Ruth Deasy, Head of Press at the European Commission Representation in Ireland, said the objective is to increase the number of women involved in running successful companies.
