"The analysis of the current state of affairs points in the direction of legislative changes...Without a certain degree of coercion the changes in the public and private sphere will take too long," she said at the conclusion of a gender equality project.

The two-year project, called Vključi.vse (Include all), showed that efforts towards improving the representation of women on company boards needed to continue, according to Kopač Mrak.

The plan is to frame the legislation "a bit more ambitiously" that the EU. The latest EU Commission proposal would mandate a 40% share of female non-executive directors in listed companies and a 33% share of executive and non-executive directors combined.

Kopač Mrak said the share of women among the ranks of junior, middle and top management amounts to about 40%, 20% of board members are women, a share that shrinks to 5% when it comes to chief executives of major companies.

Slovenia has great resources including a high share of women on the labour market, good educational attainment, and a good network of affordable day care centres. "Nevertheless, Slovenia's results are similar to those of other European countries that do not have that," said Sonja Šmuc, the head of Manager Association.