ROME—Italy, where fewer women work compared with most other industrialized countries, is trying to turn a page—starting in the boardroom.

A new law requires Italian listed and state-owned companies to ensure that one-third of their board members are women by 2015. Currently, only around 6% of the total number of corporate board members in Italy are women—one of the lowest levels in Europe and a number that reflects how few women work here.

"We...