Ahead of the EU’s expected announcement of legislation to tackle gender inequality in the corporate world, the European Union Committee concludes that introducing mandatory quotas for the number of women on EU boards would generate negative perceptions amongst women and business leaders and would not address the root causes of inequality. Whilst the Committee agrees there is a leadership role for the EU in furthering the cause of increased equality in the boardroom, quotas would risk setting back voluntary efforts without achieving broader gains, and the Government should strongly oppose any such measure. The Committee instead calls on the European Commission to bring forward measures to monitor the number of women in senior positions on an EU-wide basis. The Commission should also facilitate self-regulatory efforts in Member States which can highlight good and bad performers, giving voluntary efforts a chance to succeed, before quotas are considered.