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Gender equality in the European Union


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More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu).

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011

ISBN 978-92-79-20988-8

doi:10.2838/76728

European Union, 2011

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

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http://europa.eu/http://europa.eu/


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Gender equalityin the European Union

Introduction .............................................................................................4

Approach, principles and instruments ....................................................6EU Legislation ................................................................................................................................................ 6

A dual approach ................................................................................................................................................7Financial support programmes .........................................................................................................................8

The European Commissions priorities ...................................................10The Womens Charter .......................................................................................................................................10

The Strategy for Equality between Women and Men .....................................................................................11

The Report on Progress on Equality between Women and Men ...................................................................11

The partnership for gender equality .....................................................12Committees and groups ..................................................................................................................................12

Formal commitments ......................................................................................................................................13

European institutions .......................................................................................................................................14

The Council of Europe ......................................................................................................................................14

Civil Society and European Social Partner organisations ................................................................................14


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4

The equal treatment of men and womenhas been a fundamental tenet of the Eu-

ropean Union since its inception and theprinciple of gender equality is central toall its activities.

The Treaty of Rome, signed by the sixfounding countries of the European Eco-nomic Community (EEC) in 1957, commit-ted Member States to the right of equalpay for equal work for men and women.

The Treaty of Amsterdam (1997)

stipulated that the promotion of equalitybetween women and men was one of theEUs fundamental tasks. It also introducedthe elimination of inequalities and dis-crimination and the promotion of equalitybetween women and men in all activities.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights ofthe European Union (2000) states thatequality between men and women must beensured in all areas, including employment,work and pay (Article 23) and reaffirms theban on discrimination on a wide number ofgrounds, including sex (Article 21 ).

The Treaty of the European Union(2009) commits Member States to non-dis-crimination and equality between womenand men (Article 2 and 3).

The Treaty on the Functioning of the Eu-ropean Union provides that the Union willaim to eliminate inequalities and promoteequality between men and women (Article8). It also stipulates that the Union will aimto combat discrimination based on sex, racialor ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability,age or sexual orientation (Article 10).

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of

the European Union

Article 23: Equality between women and men

Equality between women and men must beensured in all areas, including employment, workand pay.

The principle of equality shall not prevent themaintenance or adoption of measures providingfor specific advantages in favour of the under-represented sex.

Introduction


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EU LEGISLATION

In addition to the rights enshrined by treaty,15 European Directives have been adopt-ed between 1975 and 2010. Among otherthings, this wide-ranging body of legislation:

Ensures the equal treatment of men andwomen at work.

Prohibits discrimination in social securityschemes.

Sets out minimum requirements on paren-tal leave.

Provides protection to pregnant workersand recent mothers.

Sets out rules on access to employment,working conditions, remuneration and legalrights for the self-employed.

EU Directives are legally binding for MemberStates and must be incorporated into theirnational legislation. This allows citizens whofeel that they have suffered discriminationto take their cases to national courts.

All Member States have established na-tional equality bodiesto monitor the ap-plication of gender equality laws. They meetregularly with the European Commissionto exchange information, ideas and bestpractice. National Equality Bodies can helpcitizens in legal actions and provide adviceon the availability of legal remedies.

Approach, principles and instruments


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FINANCIAL SUPPORTPROGRAMMES

THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND

The European Social Fund (ESF) is a Struc-tural Fund set up to tackle differences inprosperity and living standards across EUMember States and regions and is in par-ticular devoted to promoting employment.Since 1993, the Fund has made equality be-tween men and women one of its priorities.

Thus, the ESF has made important contribu-tions to improving the situation of womenin the labour market. During the period2007-2013, the ESF is particularly focusingon supporting the promotion of women inemployment, the elimination of pay differ-entials, the promotion of equal opportuni-ties and increasing womens participationin the workforce.

THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND

The European Regional DevelopmentFund (ERDF)is another of the StructuralFunds and aims to strengthen economicand social cohesion by correcting imbal-ances between the EUs regions. Amongother things, the Fund provides financialsupport to encourage companies to createsustainable jobs. This Fund has in particular

been used to promote childcare facilities. Arecent innovation requires gender equal-ity, non-discrimination and accessibility fordisabled persons to be taken into accountin all projects.

An ERDF-funded programme to improve access to finance formigrant women in Sweden helped boost the careers of 80 newfemale entrepreneurs within the schemes first 18 months.

The project, which got underway in four counties of Sweden in2008, led to the establishment of a permanent Micro FinanceInstitute for migrant women who want to set up or furtherdevelop micro-enterprises, including self-employment.Activities include the development of a loan fund of around480,000 and support for businesses before and after start-up.In 2010 the project was awarded a RegioStars Award, for itscontribution to good practice in regional development.

http://www.mikrofinansiering.se/page112187.html

An ESF-funded project in Germany aims to encourage women

into the traditionally male-dominated fields of scienceand technology. For the last eleven years, Germany hasdesignated an annual Girls Day when thousands of hi-techcompanies, research organisations and other technology-based organisations throw open their doors to over 100,000teenage girls to try to interest them in a technical or scientificcareer. The Future Prospects for Girls campaign has been sucha success that a Boys Day event has recently been introducedon the same day, when teenage boys visit organisations inthe female-dominated liberal and caring professions, such asnursing and social work.

http://www.girls-day.de/Girls_Day_Info/English_Information
http://www.mikrofinansiering.se/page112187.htmlhttp://www.girls-day.de/Girls_Day_Info/English_Informationhttp://www.girls-day.de/Girls_Day_Info/English_Informationhttp://www.girls-day.de/Girls_Day_Info/English_Informationhttp://www.girls-day.de/Girls_Day_Info/English_Informationhttp://www.mikrofinansiering.se/page112187.html


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The European Commissions priorities

THE WOMENS CHARTER

When the Barroso II Commission took of-fice in 2010 it underlined its commitmentto gender equality by adopting a WomensCharter1.

1 COM(2010) 78

This political declaration commits the Euro-

pean Commission to strengthen efforts tobuild a gender perspective into all its policiesfor the next five years while taking specificmeasures to promote gender equality.

This Charter represents the commitment of the Commission to making

gender equality a reality in the EU. Women and men still face widespreadinequalities, with serious repercussions for economic and social cohesion,sustainable growth and competitiveness, and the ageing of Europe'spopulation. It is therefore important to include a strong gender dimension inthe future Europe 2020 strategythat the Commission will develop in thenext five years. Especially in times of crisis, we need to incorporate the genderdimension in all of our policies, for the benefit of both women and men."

Jos Manuel Barroso,President of the European Commission.


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Strategy for equalitybetween women and men2010-2015

THE STRATEGY FOR EQUALITYBETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN

TheStrategy for Equality between Womenand Men 2010-20152builds on the experi-

ence of the Roadmap for Equality betweenWomen and Men of 2006. It represents theEuropean Commission's work programmeon gender equalityfor the period 2010-2015. It is a comprehensive framework com-mitting the Commission to promote genderequalityinto all its policies for the followingthematic priorities:

equal economic independence;

equal pay for equal work or work of equalvalue;

equality in decision-making;

dignity, integrity and ending gender-basedviolence;

gender equality in external actions;

horizontal issues (gender roles, legislationand governance).

http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=6568&langId=en

THE REPORT ON PROGRESS ONEQUALITY BETWEEN WOMEN ANDMEN

Every year the European Commission reportson progress in achieving equality between

men and women at the EU level throughthe publication of the Report on Progresson Equality between Women and Men. Theannual report includes a range of genderequality indicators.

http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=6562&langId=en

2 COM(2010) 491 final
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The partnership for gender equalityCo-operation with the various institutions

and stakeholders active in the field of gen-der equality EU countries governments,the European Parliament, social partnerorganisations, civil society, equality bodies,international organisations, EU agencies iscrucial to ensure progress in this field. TheStrategy for Equality between Women andMen foresees an Annual Dialogue on genderequality between the European Commis-sion, the European Parliament, the Counciland key stakeholders such as social partners

and civil society organisations at a Europeanlevel.

COMMITTEES AND GROUPS

HIGHLEVEL GROUP ON GENDER MAINSTREAMING

The High-Level Group on Gender Main-streaming is an informal group created in2001, which comprises high-level represent-atives responsible for gender mainstreamingat the national level. It is chaired by the Euro-pean Commission and meets twice per yearin the country holding the Presidency of theEuropean Union. The HLG plays a key role inthe EU gender equality agenda, through theformulation, programming and implemen-

tation of the EU Gender Equality Pact and the

Trio of Presidencies' Programme. It helps thePresidencies and the Commission to iden-tify gender equality subjects and prioritieswhich are of political relevance, for debateby the Council of the EU. The HLG is also themain forum for planning the follow-up of theBeijing Platform for Action inside the EU andfor preparing the annual meeting of the UNCommission on the Status of Women. It alsoassists the Commission in the preparation ofits Report on Progress on Equality between

Women and Men.

http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1240

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FORWOMEN AND MEN

The Advisory Committee was set up bythe European Commission in 1981. It iscomposed of the representatives of EUMember States ministries responsible forgender equality, representatives from gen-der equality bodies, European social part-ner organisations as well as the EuropeanWomens Lobby. It assists the Commissionin formulating and implementing European
http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1240http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1240http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1240http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1240


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Union activities aimed at promoting equalitybetween women and men. To achieve theseaims the Committee delivers opinions tothe Commission on issues of relevance tothe promotion of gender equality in the EU.

http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1238

FORMAL COMMITMENTS

THE EUROPEAN PACT FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Member States are committed to genderequality through the European Pact for Gen-der Equality, originally adopted in 2006. InMarch 2011 a new Pact for the period 2011-2020 was adopted. It urges the EU and Mem-ber States to work towards achieving equal-ity, ensure equal pay for equal work andpromote the equal participation of womenin decision-making. The Pact also calls foran increase in affordable and high-quality

childcare, the promotion of flexible work-ing arrangements, action to reduce violenceagainst women and increased protection forvictims of violence.

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/119628.pdf

THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION

The EU and its Member States are also com-mitted to promote gender equality throughthe Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) agreedat the UN World Conference on Women in1995. The BPfA aims to remove obstacles towomen's participation in all spheres of pub-lic and private life through an equal sharein economic, social, cultural and politicaldecision-making. It also aims to improvewomens health and their access to educa-tion. The implementation of the BPfA agen-da is reviewed by the UN every five years.
http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1238http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1238http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/119628.pdfhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/119628.pdfhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/119628.pdfhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/119628.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1238http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/detailGroup.cfm?groupID=1238


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EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS

THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCILOF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Trio Presidency Joint Declarations on Equal-ity between Women and Men are adoptedat the beginning of each Trio to encourageMember States and the EU to speed up effortsto promote equality between women andmen. These declarations detail the genderequality programmes and activities of thethree Presidencies of the EU for 18 months.

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The Committee on Womens Rights and Gen-der Equality of the European Parliament isresponsible for:

the definition, promotion and protectionof women's rights in the Union and relatedCommunity measures;

the promotion of women's rights in thirdcountries;

equal opportunities policy, including equal-

ity between men and women with regard tolabour market opportunities and treatmentat work;

the removal of all forms of discriminationbased on sex;

the implementation and further develop-ment of gender mainstreaming in all policysectors;

the follow-up and implementation of in-ternational agreements and conventionsinvolving the rights of women;

information policy on women.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=FEMM

THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR GENDER EQUALITY

The European Institute for Gender Equal-ity (EIGE) was officially opened in Vilnius inJune 2010. Its main task is to support theEU institutions and Member States in theirefforts to promote gender equality. It doesthis by collecting and publishing reliable

and comparable information and data ongender equality with the aim of helping theEU institutions and Member States to takeevidence-based policy decisions.

http://www.eige.europa.eu/

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe alsoworks actively to promote gender equality.Article 14 and Protocol 12 of the EuropeanConvention on Human Rights, whose im-plementation is monitored by the Council,have helped to improve the legal protectionand status of women in recent decades. On 7April 2010, the Committee of Ministers of theCouncil of Europe adopted a Convention onpreventing and combating violence againstwomen and domestic violence.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND EUROPEANSOCIAL PARTNER ORGANISATIONS

EUROPEAN SOCIAL PARTNERS

The European social partners UNICE/UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC have an impor-tant role to play in the promotion of genderequality, in particular in the workplace. Theyare specifically committed to gender equal-ity through the Framework of Actions onGender Equalityfor 2005-2010. The fourpriority areas of action are:

addressing gender roles;

promoting women in decision-making;

supporting work-life balance;

tackling the gender pay gap.

EUROPEAN WOMENS LOBBY EWL

The EWL is the largest umbrella organisationof womens associations in the EU, workingto promote womens rights and equalitybetween women and men. EWL member-ship extends to organisations in all 27 EUMember States and the three candidatecountries, as well as to 20 Europe-wide bod-ies, representing a total of more than 2500organisations.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=FEMMhttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=FEMMhttp://www.eige.europa.eu/http://www.eige.europa.eu/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=FEMMhttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=FEMM


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doi:10.2838/76728

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