Since 2010, when the Index – an initiative of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), an EU agency bases in Vilnius, Lithuania – began to be published, Portugal has climbed four positions in the table, currently led by Sweden, Denmark and France.

The highest levels of inequality are felt mainly within the family, in which household tasks are still attributed mainly to females, such as family assistance which includes women being forced to miss work on some occasions.

With regard to the sphere of power, Portugal is one of six countries with legislation on gender equality in companies, but it is still below target. In 2017, Portugal adopted quotas for women in public companies, and in one year, female representation on boards of directors and supervisory bodies rose from 16.2 percent to 24.8 percent.

“Politics will have an impact. The policy of equality in business administration’s had an impact on economic decisions”, said Lithuanian Jolanta Reingarde, researcher and project coordinator at EIGE, in an interview with Lusa News Agency.

France is the only country in the EU that has more than 40 percent of women on company boards. Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Holland, Finland and Sweden are around a third of women.