Gender quotas welcomed by French finance minister

France's finance minister Christine Lagarde has voiced her support for a draft law to introduce mandatory gender quotas in the country's boardrooms.

Speaking at the Financial Times (FT) Women at the Top conference this week, Ms Lagarde admitted she did not instantly embrace the idea of quotas for female directors and was wary of the legislation at first.

"There was one bill that was just voted [on] about which I had trepidation and doubts," she said at the event in London.

"I have now changed my mind about quotas."

France's proposal, which will require all companies to ensure at least 40 per cent of their boardroom seats are occupied by women, is due to face a final vote in January.

Ms Lagarde told the FT that female representation on boards around the world is still "way below the regular percentage" she would like to see.

According to recent figures from the European Professional Women's Network, female directors currently account for 11.9 per cent of board positions at France's top companies.