There are just 13 women on the executive boards of the biggest Dutch listed companies, according to the latest edition of the Female Board Index, the Volkskrant says on Thursday.

This year, just three more women joined the upper echelons of Dutch industry, taking the percentage of female board members to 6%, the Volkskrant says.

The Netherlands is due to introduce a ‘legal target’ to ensure 30% of their management and supervisory boards are female by 2016. If firms don’t reach this, they will have to explain why and how they plan to improve the situation in their annual reports.

At the current rate of progress, the 30% target for board members will not be reached until 2033, the Volkskrant says. The target for supervisory board members may be reached by 2020.

The failure of big Dutch companies to make much headway is likely to reawaken calls for a formal boardroom quota with sanctions, the Volkskrant says.