Gender Equality Strategy
Years of debate, never any obligation. Now, a new attempt.
IF – 04/2020
Two women, Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European
Commission for Values and Transparency, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for
Equality, had the opportunity to present the European Strategy for Equality
between Women and Men in mid-March.
The Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 sets out key actions for the next
five years and states that the European Commission will mainstream a gender
equality perspective into all EU policies and Commission initiatives.
Wide differences between countries in terms of equality
Not a single EU Member State has achieved full equality
between women and men, and despite a number of mostly non-binding national
measures, women are still disadvantaged in many areas of life. This starts with difficulties
reconciling work and family life due to a lack of childcare facilities
with little flexibility in terms of opening hours or a complete lack of all-day care in rural
areas. This in turn leads to women
doing more part-time rather than full-time work.
Further
reasons for closing the gender pay gap and pension gap include the significant differences in pay between men and
women, and poverty among women in old age due to low pension entitlements that threaten
their livelihoods. The average gender pay gap across Europe is 16% and the pension gap as high as 35%.
Towards a Union of Equality
Gender equality policy and its objectives have failed due to lax
implementation in the Member
States. Substantial improvements in gender equality are only being achieved slowly, with gender differences in work, wages, long-term care and pensions
evident in all Member States. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
announced the strategy prior to taking office and it was also included in the
European Union’s Work
Programme (see article Feb 2020).
Dual-approach Strategy
The Gender
Equality Strategy will be implemented using two approaches:
1. Implementation
of targeted measures to
achieve full gender equality.
2. Integration
of a gender perspective into all EU policy areas.
What measures are being planned?
The Commission has ambitious plans which focus in particular on important issues such as ending gender-based violence, promoting women’s participation in
the labour market and ensuring equal opportunities and pay. Despite higher educational qualifications,
women have significant career breaks due to juggling their work and family commitments. This leads to fewer opportunities for career advancement.
Additional step towards pay equality
At the same time, the European Commission has launched a public
consultation on pay transparency to eliminate the gender pay gap. It is
expected that binding measures as
a means of further closing the pay gap will be presented by the end of
the year.