Strengthening gender equality – Guidelines for notaries

The International Union of Notaries (UINL) drafted a guide on Good Notarial Practices to Promote Gender Equality in Europe, in the framework of the European Union co-funded project EL@N II.
Elaborated on the basis of responses to a survey sent by the President of the European Affairs Commission (CAE), Valentina Rubertelli, to the representatives of the European Notariats, this document outlines concrete steps European notaries can take to reinforce the principle of gender equality across their professional duties.
The guide highlights three primary areas where notarial work intersects with gender equality:
1. Family Life: Notaries play a pivotal role in reducing gender inequalities by advising couples on matrimonial property regimes, protecting spouses’ independence, preventing economic violence, and ensuring fairness during divorce and inheritance proceedings.
2. Access to Property: By facilitating transparent transactions and equitable property ownership, notaries can empower individuals, particularly women, to overcome barriers in accessing and managing land and assets.
3. Professional Life: Notaries can make a significant contribution to improving the position of women in their professional life. Firstly, by helping women to set up their own business, informing them on entrepreneurship, financial aids, access to credit, etc. Secondly, by ensuring parity within the notarial profession and equal access to management positions.
If gender parity in the notarial profession has long since been achieved in the vast majority of European countries (there are now as many, if not more, female notaries as male notaries), there are still not enough women Presidents of their Notariat, or members of the Boards of National Chambers.
The trend is nevertheless evolving rapidly, and many women have recently been elected President of their Notariat: Valentina Rubertelli in Italy, in 2021, Sophie Sabot-Barcet in France, in 2022, Concepción Pilar Barrio del Olmo, in Spain, in December 2024, etc.
This trend is also reflected in international organizations, with Cristina Armella being the first woman President of UINL, elected in 2020, and Cosita Delvaux the first woman President of the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE) in 2025.