Strategic engagement for gender equality

Transcription

1 Strategic engagement for gender equality Gesa Böckermann Gender Equality Unit, DG Justice and Consumers 07 November 2016, Brussels

2 Preparations: consultation and evaluation

3 Priority areas for action st : Increasing female labour-market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men; 2 nd : Reducing the gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women; 3 rd : Promoting equality between women and men in decisionmaking; 4 th : Combating gender-based violence and protecting and supporting victims; and 5 th : Promoting gender equality and women s rights across the world.

4 The Strategic engagement sets out: 33 key actions Objectives to be achieved; Timelines and responsibilities within the Commission (Annex 1); Indicators for all priority areas and baseline against which progress will be monitored (Annex 1); That gender mainstreaming remains a key tool for the promotion of gender equality (dual approach); How EU funding programmes contribute to the promotion of gender equality;

5 1st priority area: Increasing female labour market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men Why do we need to act?

6 Gaps between male and female full-time equivalent employment rates (FTER) and employment rates (ER) in 2015

7 Average time spent by workers on paid and unpaid work per week Even though men devote more time to paid work, women work in total 54 hours a week, 5 hours more than men, spending on average 21 hours on caring and household activities, compared with 9 hours spent by men. Source: Eurofound (2015)

8 Increasing female labour market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men Objectives: Reach the EU target of 75 % of men and women in employment in 2020; More equal sharing between women and men of time spent on care and household responsibilities and improved possibilities for balancing caring and professional responsibilities; Member States to attain the Barcelona targets on childcare; consider reflecting with Member States on possible ways of making Barcelona targets more ambitious and extending them to cover care for other dependants; Promotion of female entrepreneurship and gender equality in research; better labour-market integration of migrant women.

9 Increasing female labour market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men Key actions include in particular: A new and comprehensive initative to address the work-life balance challenges faced by working parents and carers Parental leaves and other family leaves Childcare services, out-ofschool care and care for dependants Work-life balance Tax-benefit system Work arrangements

10 Increasing female labour market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men Key actions also include: European Semester: continue to assess National Reform Programmes and issue country-specific recommendations where necessary; Integrating a gender perspective into the implementation of the European Migration Agenda, addressing barriers to the employment and career progression of migrant women; helping Member States to make full use of the possibilities offered by the European Social Fund (ESF) in this area; Awareness-raising to promote female entrepreneurship, including through the launch of an e-platform for women entrepreneurs, the creation of a European Network of Women Business Angels and the Network of Women s Web Entrepreneurs Hubs;

11 2 nd priority area: Reducing gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women Why do we need to act?

12 Reducing gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women Persisting gender gaps in the EU: the total earnings gap is 41%... the gender pension gap is 40%... and 15.6% of women + 65 are at risk of poverty (11.4% of men)

13 Reducing gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women Objectives: Reduce gender inequality in access to financial resources through life Substantially reduce gender inequality in economic sectors and occupations; Increase the overall paid working hours of women; ensure effective implementation of equal pay legislation; Eliminate barriers to accessing the labour market of vulnerable groups, such as migrant women and single parents; Address the causes and consequences of the gender pension gap, an obstacle to the economic independence of women in old age, when they face a higher risk of poverty than men;

14 Reducing gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women 7 key actions, for example: Further improving the implementation and enforcement of the equal pay principle enshrined in Directive 2006/54/EC and considering inter alia strengthening pay transparency on the basis of the report to be drawn up on Member States measures to implement the Commission Recommendation C(2014) 105; Continuing to mark European Equal Pay Day with Europe-wide information activities to reach out to Member States; raising awareness of the link between pay, earnings and pension entitlements in old age; Support measures enhancing digital skills among women and girls and promoting female employment in the ICT sector; promoting gender equality in education, including in relation to gendered study subject choices and careers;

15 3rd priority area: Promoting equality between women and men in decision-making Why do we need to act?

16 35.6% 32.6% 30.4% 29.2% 28.6% 27.8% 26.1% 26.0% 25.8% 25.5% 22.2% 21.5% 20.0% 19.4% 19.0% 18.7% 17.8% 15.3% 14.3% 13.5% 12.7% 12.1% 11.8% 10.4% 9.8% 9.0% 8.1% 4.5% Representation of women and men on the boards of large listed companies in the EU, October % 80% 22.7% Men Women 60% 40% 20% EU-28 average, 22.7% 0% FR SE LV FI IT UK DE BE DK NL HR SI AT PL BG ES HU IE LT PT SK LU RO CZ EL CY EE MT

17 New data shows again that the most significant improvements have occurred in countries that have taken legislative action and/or had an intensive public debate on the issue.

18 Promoting equality between women and men in decision-making key actions include for example: Continue to support adoption of the 2012 proposal for a Directive on improving the gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges by 2016, closely monitor transposition and implementation once adopted; Continue to collect and disseminate further data on the representation of women and men in high decision-making positions, in close cooperation with EIGE; Reach the target of 40 % women in senior and middle management positions in the Commission by the end of 2019;

19 4th priority area: Combating gender-based violence and protecting and supporting victims - Why do we need to act?

20 Findings from the survey by the Fundamental Rights Agency (March 2014) Physical and sexual violence Sexual harassment and stalking 33% of women experienced sexual and/or physical violence since the age of 15 and in the 12 months before the interview Cyberviolence Intimate partner violence 55% of women experienced sexual harassment

21 Combating gender-based violence and protecting and supporting victims 7 key actions, including for example: EU accession to the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) to the extent of EU competences; Further improvement of the availability, quality and reliability of data on gender-based violence; Continue to promote attitudinal and behavioural change through awareness-raising activities (International Days); 2017 focused actions combatting violence against women;

22 Gender mainstreaming Strategic engagement sets out that the dual approach of key actions and incorporation of a gender equality perspective in all policies will be continued (chapter 4)

23 EU funding in support of gender equality (chapter 5) EU-level funding: The European Structural and Investment Funds are key financial levers for the promotion of gender equality; it is estimated that EUR 5.85 billion will be spent on measures promoting gender equality in the period The gender-equality perspective will be taken into account in preparing the post-2020 generation of EU funding programmes.

24 Thank you for your attention!