WHAT’S THE EU’S STAND?

 

Gender equality is one of the objectives and founding principles of the European Union. 

 

Promoting equal economic independence for women and men, closing the gender pay gap, advancing gender balance in decision making, ending gender based violence or promoting gender equality across borders. These are some of the EU’s key objectives for the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. 

 

But there’s still a long way to go… 

 

No Member State has achieved full gender equality and progress is slow. Member States on average scored 67.4 out of 100 in the EU Gender Equality Index 2019.

 

Surveys show that the majority of Europeans believe that women are under-represented in positions of responsibility because of women’s and men’s gender roles in society. 

 

The EU encourages more equality in the workplace by funding projects that support women to break through male-dominated sectors. It also promotes transparent selection procedures, equality policies and other mechanisms that help women reach their full professional potential. 

 

Additionally, the EU recently presented a proposal for a directive to strengthen the application of the principle of equal through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms (4 March, 2021).