Despite the investment in education and human capital in general made by European women, their representation in business and economic decision-making bodies is still very low. This paper aims to provide an overview of the progress made in the policy and normative framework geared towards the elimination of vertical segregation on the grounds of gender. Here we argue that the pace of progress
has been rather slow and commonly supported by the business-case arguments at the expense of a social justice-oriented perspective. The paper is organised into two sections: firstly, as far as women’s rights and gender equality are concerned, the main international references are presented; secondly, the policy and legal initiatives at both European and national levels are brought into discussion.

keywords: gender equality; policy framework; economy; decision-making