On the event of Worldwide Ladies's Day, the European Fee and the Excessive Consultant/Vice-President make the next assertion:
“As we speak, the proportion of ladies in politics is much from consultant of our various societies. The general proportion of feminine members in single or decrease chambers of Parliament at the moment averages 33% throughout EU Member States and 26.5% worldwide. We should proceed to do extra to encourage and promote the inclusion of ladies in politics.
2024 is a milestone for elections around the globe. Over four billion individuals are being requested to vote, together with greater than 400 million EU residents who will participate within the European Parliament elections in June. On this Worldwide Ladies's Day, we pay tribute to the brave activism of the European suffragettes who fought for the suitable to vote when it was the privilege of males, and to each lady, in all her variety, who contributes to shaping a fairer and extra equal society.
In lots of elements of the world, ladies are sadly nonetheless prevented from collaborating in public life and in some contexts they’re fully excluded from decision-making and public areas. Throughout societies, ladies proceed to face discrimination and are at elevated threat of on-line and offline violence. That is significantly acute for feminine politicians, journalists and activists, significantly human rights defenders.
On this electoral 12 months, we encourage all ladies, together with younger ladies, all over the place to train their proper to vote, declare their place in society and really feel empowered to take part in political life.”
background
The worldwide theme of Worldwide Ladies's Day 2024 is “Promote inclusion”which is according to this 12 months's United Nations theme “Investing in Ladies: Accelerating Progress”. The participation of ladies in society is essential, together with in decision-making positions.
On March 6, 2024, Vice-President Jourová opened the Fee assembly “Ladies in Public Life” Excessive-level occasion in Brussels in reference to the upcoming European Parliament elections. Numerous panels centered on the challenges ladies face in politics, journalism and civil society. Members mentioned why ladies select to depart public positions and recognized concrete options to finish this pattern, together with by participating media platforms, regulators and political events.
Ladies proceed to be underrepresented in politics. In 2023, solely 6 Member States achieved a gender illustration of greater than 40% amongst their MPs, with 7 Member States having lower than 25% feminine MPs. The European Parliament has an nearly balanced gender ratio: 40% ladies and 60% males. As of January 2024, solely 5 of 27 member states had feminine heads of state. Globally, ladies maintain solely 26.7% of parliamentary seats, 35.5% of native authorities seats and solely 28.2% of management positions within the office. Given the present sluggish tempo of change, the proportion of ladies in management positions within the office will solely attain 30% by 2050. The Fee will assist Member States in growing and implementing more practical methods to extend the variety of ladies in decision-making positions, reminiscent of introducing gender-responsive electoral lists, main to higher insurance policies, anti-discrimination and anti-sexism cultures and stronger, extra various democracies tackle social wants.
As we speak the Fee additionally revealed its 2024 report on gender equality within the EU, which supplies an summary of progress within the implementation of the Gender Equality Technique 2020-2025. Many of the measures set out within the technique have already been carried out. The primary Fee led by a girl and composed of a gender-balanced Fee and the primary Commissioner for Gender Equality succeeded in placing gender equality on the coronary heart of the EU agenda. As well as, the Fee made sustained progress in reaching gender stability in any respect ranges of administration. As of March 1, 2024, ladies held 48.5% of all management positions throughout the Fee.
The most recent breakthrough is the political settlement reached on February 6, 2024 between the European Parliament and the Council on the Fee's proposal for a directive to fight violence in opposition to ladies and home violence. The directive is the primary complete authorized instrument at EU degree to fight the nonetheless widespread violence in opposition to ladies. The directive criminalizes sure types of violence in opposition to ladies throughout the EU, each offline and on-line. Feminine genital mutilation and compelled marriage are criminalized as separate crimes. It additionally criminalizes probably the most widespread types of cyberviolence, together with non-consensual sharing of intimate photos (together with deepfakes), cyberstalking, cyberharassment, misogynistic hate speech and “cyberflashing.” The directive additionally supplies for complete measures to guard victims, entry to justice and assist, reminiscent of emergency shelters, rape disaster facilities and counseling facilities. These measures profit victims of all types of violence in opposition to ladies, that are criminalized on the nationwide degree.
The previous 4 years have been marked by a number of essential legislative milestones to advertise gender equality. Only a 12 months after the adoption of the equality technique, in March 2021 the Fee introduced a proposal for a directive to strengthen the equal pay precept by way of pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. In December 2022, a political settlement on the Pay Transparency Directive was reached in document time, paving the best way for the adoption of the Directive in Could 2023. Work or equal work, enshrined within the Treaty since 1957, is lastly turning into a actuality on the bottom.
From August 2022, the brand new EU-wide work-life stability rights for fogeys and carers will apply. In September 2022, the Fee introduced the European Care Technique, linked to new targets for early childhood training and care to enhance ladies's labor market participation.
In November 2022, ten years after it was proposed by the European Fee, the Directive on equal illustration of men and women on firm boards was adopted. This new EU regulation will assist cut back boundaries to ladies's profession development.
On March eight, 2023, the Fee launched the #EndGenderStereotypes marketing campaign, which ran all through final 12 months. The marketing campaign challenges viewers to uncover and problem gender stereotypes in profession selections, caring tasks and decision-making.
The Fee joined in October 2023 Council of Europe Conference on stopping and combating violence in opposition to ladies and home violence – The Istanbul Conference. The EU is now sure by bold and complete requirements to stop and fight violence in opposition to ladies within the areas of judicial cooperation in legal issues, asylum and non-refoulement, in addition to in its public administration. This consists of funding, coverage and legislative motion.
Within the fall of 2023, the fee arrange one EU community for the prevention of gender-based violence and home violence. The community provides Member States and stakeholders the chance to debate new and rising points in violence prevention, in addition to the trade of information and finest practices.
The Fee will suggest the next: Advice to stop and fight dangerous practices in the direction of ladies and ladies throughout 2024. The Advice identifies measures that Member States may tackle the bottom to fight dangerous practices reminiscent of feminine genital mutilation, pressured sterilization, pressured abortion, and early and compelled marriage.
Over time, below the Residents, Equality, Rights and Values programme, the Fee has funded tasks and organizations that promote gender equality and fight gender-based violence. All tasks supported below the CERV program are anticipated to take gender equality and non-discrimination under consideration of their design. Two tenders with a complete quantity of as much as 35 million euros are at the moment open to stop gender-based violence and assist victims, in addition to tackle the causes of the gender pay hole and implement the Pay Transparency Directive.
There was additionally progress within the EU's exterior motion. Selling ladies's equal participation and management is among the priorities of the Gender Motion Plan III for the EU's exterior motion. Strengthening the voice and management of younger ladies in politics and decision-making can be a precedence of the first-ever Youth Motion Plan within the EU's exterior motion. One in all its flagship tasks, the Ladies and Youth in Democracy Initiative, focuses on strengthening the rights, empowerment and participation of youth and girls in public and political life as key brokers of growth and alter. On March 14th, the 11.5 million euro element on ladies's political participation will likely be launched as a part of the Fee of the Standing of Ladies in New York.
In November 2023, the Fee and the Excessive Consultant revealed the joint mid-term report on the implementation of the EU Motion Plan for Gender Equality, specializing in the outcomes of the EU's exterior motion on gender equality and the empowerment of ladies and ladies . For the reason that adoption of GAP III three years in the past, essential new EU initiatives and packages have been launched at world, regional and nationwide ranges, together with a number of Staff Europe initiatives geared toward empowering ladies and ladies within the areas of sexual and reproductive well being and Equal entry rights assist high quality training and entry to finance for younger ladies entrepreneurs.
In 2021, the EU renewed its dedication to the 2021-2025 roadmap “Name for cover in opposition to gender-based violence in emergencies” was launched in 2013. This can be a world initiative to implement structural adjustments within the humanitarian system to fight gender-based violence.
For extra informations
Factsheet – Standing up for gender equality
2024 report on gender equality within the EU
Portal for monitoring the gender equality technique
Selling gender equality
Equality between men and women in decision-making
EIGE gender statistics database
Video message from President von der Leyen from the “Ladies in Public Life” occasion