Fostering equality

“Giving Europe a female touch”: Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, a protagonist of the European debate ensuing the tug of war undertaken by France on the question of the Roma, shifts the centre of attention to a different subject by announcing the adoption of a new “five-year strategy for promoting equality between women and men in Europe”.Enhancing potential. Reding had been working on this theme – which she defines “gender equality” – for a long time. But in EU seats and across most Member States the Executive proposal aimed at protecting women at social and economic level “to make better use of – yet unexpressed – women potentials” gained major consensus. A few months ago, ahead of International Women’s Day, the European Commission strengthened its commitment for the “European Women’s Charter”, which for president José Manuel Barroso “represents the commitment of the Commission to making gender equality a reality in the EU”. Commissioner Reding presented the new initiative with some preliminary remarks: “‘Europe has led the world by example in terms of gender equality by including the principle of equal pay for equal work into the Treaty of Rome in 1957”. “We can do this again today regarding the participation of women in decision-making and the fight against gender-based violence”. The “strategy” (for details see http://ec.europa.eu/social), provides the tool for “progress” in this area. “The strategy aims in particular to make better use of women’s potential, thereby contributing to the EU’s overall economic and social goals”, and “it translates the principles set out in the Women’s Charter”.Violence and disparity. Reding provides the grounds which promoted the Commission’s initiative with the results of a Eurobarometer survey. Accordingly, “87% of Europeans support EU action to tackle domestic violence”, and “one out of four knows someone who has been a victim of such violence”. The figures highlight a situation which remains serious in various sectors, ranging from gender pay gap, professional gender inequality and similar situations of discrimination involving women, starting from the family environment. To counter this situation the European Commission spells out a series of actions based around five priorities: the economy and labour market; equal pay; equality in senior positions; tackling gender violence; and promoting equality beyond the EU. Maternity and domestic labour. The Commission points out: “The EU’s achievements in fostering equality between women and men have helped improve the lives of many European citizens. There are some encouraging recent trends: more women are in the labour market (approaching 60% on average in the EU, up from 52% in 1998) and education and training have been improved”. In EU27 young women (20-24) represent 59% of university graduates. However, “in the labour market, women are still over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions. Parenthood keeps female employment rates down: female entrepreneurs make up only 33.2% of the self-employed. In addition, women also continue to work more unpaid hours than men at home”.When equal pay? The Commission’s document highlights the importance of “getting more women into the labour market”, helping to reach the Europe 2020 target employment rate “of 75% overall for women and men”. The EU is called to promote female entrepreneurship across Member States. The Commission is set to establish “an annual European Equal Pay Day to raise awareness of the fact that women continue to earn an average of nearly 18% less than men across the EU” (despite the principles advocated in the 1957 Treaty). Another field of action regards the respect of fundamental rights: “It is necessary to work together with all Member States in combating violence against women, especially eradicating female genital mutilation in Europe and beyond”. The Commission will also “will also set up a yearly top-level Gender Equality Dialogue involving the European Parliament, the Council presidencies, European social partners and civil society to assess progress in implementing the strategy”.