INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, BEIJING+15, Assessment – prospect
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
BEIJING+15
Assessment – Prospect
Event of Women DIKO
Nicosia, March 20, 2010
Anna Karamanοu, former Member of the European Parliament
Deputy President of Women of the European Socialist Party
(PESWomen)
It is with great pleasure that I accepted the very honorable invitation of your president, the great activist Antigone Papadopoulou, to be a speaker at your organization’s event today. I know that you have developed significant activity to enhance the role of women and to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by Cyprus’s accession to the European Union. I would like to warmly thank you for the invitation, especially your worthy president, and at the same time to congratulate you on your initiatives, actions, and dedication to the cause of gender equality.
Dear ladies,
One hundred years have already passed since then – the early 20th century – when a few pioneering women in thought and action were demanding, amid mockery and abuse, gender equality and the right to vote. It has been a century since the struggle of progressive women and their agreement to raise high the flag of the struggle every March 8 (Copenhagen 1910, proposal by Clara Zetkin).
The claims of women then began at a time of expansion of the industrial world, radical ideologies, deep devaluation of the female gender, as well as political and economic deadlocks, just like now. Today we enjoy rights that our grandmothers could not even have dreamed of; however, many issues remain open. In Greece and Cyprus, the right to vote, the most basic political right, was recognized only in 1950 in Cyprus (with the referendum) and in 1952 in Greece.
UN Action Platform
This year’s International Women’s Day coincided with the completion of 15 years since the historic UN Conference in 1995 in Beijing, which was a milestone for the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality. In Beijing, the “Platform for Action” was adopted for the first time, with twelve thematic areas, specific objectives, and two innovative strategies for: 1/ the empowerment of women 2/ the promotion of gender equality in all policies (gender mainstreaming). Therefore, it is timely to attempt an evaluation of the 15-year journey, that is, to examine where we stand after 15 years, how far we have come, and what needs to be done in the coming years.
Assessing this 15-year period quickly, we should probably feel vindicated, despite the fact that we are still far from full and substantive gender equality. The progress that has been made is encouraging and allows us to be optimistic about even greater achievements in the future. In Greece and Cyprus, aided by the EU, significant steps have been taken in all areas of economic, social, and political life. Today, more and more women are participating in the productive process, while regarding education, we can talk about a triumph for women, since in all the universities of the EU the number of women is greater than that of men (in Greece, 60%).
The European policy– gender mainstreaming
The EU, since 1995, has adopted a series of legislative acts and action programs to promote gender equality in all areas. The Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 incorporated the integration of gender dimension into all its activities (gender mainstreaming) among the Union’s objectives. Personally, as President of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament, I was fortunate to see gender equality included in the Constitutional Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights as one of the core values of the EU. The Women’s Committee, in cooperation with women’s organizations, held a special meeting on May 22, 2002, with the participation of members of the Assembly, and submitted positions that expanded the institutional framework and strengthened the legal basis for gender equality in all areas, just as mandated today by the Treaty of Lisbon.
Initially, in the Community, for reasons mainly related to the avoidance of unfair competition among member states, equality in employment was the key issue, as expressed in the founding Treaty of Rome in 1957 (Article 119). For this reason, subsequent Directives emphasized equal treatment and “equal pay for equal work.” This policy was extended to other areas in the 1990s, under pressure from the criticism of women’s organizations, as well as the EU’s commitment to proceed based on the Beijing Platform. In 2006, seven Directives concerning Equality were codified into one, thus providing a clearer legal framework.
Today, equality in the economy, in politics, and in education constitute central objectives of the EU, as stated in the “Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men, 2006-2010.”
The gender gap
However, it is evident that the legislation and the prohibition of discrimination at the European and national level have not eliminated the gender gap in employment, wages, pensions, participation in public office, have not reduced violence against women and sexual exploitation, have not changed the projection of distorted standards by the media, nor the distribution of responsibilities between men and women in the private sphere and in the provision of care services for children and the elderly. At the same time, the economic crisis exacerbates the crime of violence against women in all its forms, mainly within the family.
Women today in the EU are paid on average 18% less than men, in many countries they face a higher risk of unemployment and their entry into the labor market is discouraged, either due to cultural traditions (Islam) or due to the availability of low-quality or part-time jobs. However, female unemployment for the first time in the EU of 27, at 9.3% in January 2010, appears to be lower than that of men (9.79%). However, in Greece it remains at 13.5% compared to 7.1% for men, while in Cyprus it is 6.4% compared to 6.1% for men (Eurostat, 5.3.2010).
Women, especially in traditional societies, are often forced to choose between family and career. For working men and women, it is very difficult to combine the obligations of professional life with personal life when there are no infrastructures for the care of children and the elderly. It is known that the EU countries that have strengthened the infrastructures and care services for children have the highest participation of women in employment and the highest birth rates (Sweden, France, etc.).
The democratic deficit
Across Europe, after more than half a century of acquiring the right to vote and be elected, the participation of women in democratic institutions and decision-making centers remains weak. In the national parliaments of the EU, male members constitute 77% of the total, while women make up only 23%. The numbers vary among member states, with the best examples being Sweden, with 47%, and Finland with 42%.
The European Parliament has better figures with 35% female participation compared to 31% in the 2004 elections. In the Socialist Group of the European Parliament, women make up 41.4% of the members, in the Liberal Group 45%, in the Greens 55%, while in the European People’s Party only 24%.
Cyprus, with 7 women among 56 members of parliament, has a female participation rate of 13%, which is among the lowest in the world and well below the European average. And to think that Cyprus has the highest percentage of women with doctoral degrees in the entire EU.
In Greece, with 52 female MPs out of a total of 300 (17.3%) after the latest elections, we are also very low. As for local government, despite the so-called “more women-friendly power,” only 33 women were elected out of 1033 Mayors (3.1%) and 2 out of 57 Prefects (3.5%). The law for mandatory participation, with a rate of 1/3 women in the ballots for Local Government and Parliament, was a positive step, but unfortunately, it was not reflected in the election results.
Power has a gender
In governments, a similar picture prevails. In the European Union of 27 states, there are only 3 women presidents and only one woman prime minister, while women make up 26% of all ministers and deputy ministers. In Greece, at the governmental level, significant progress has been made with the new PASOK government, as one-third of the ministers are women for the first time in history. In Spain, the Zapatero government appointed 50% women to the cabinet, including the Ministry of Defense. In the European Socialist Party, among five member parties, we have women leaders. Cyprus (along with Estonia) has one of the lowest performances, with only two women members of the government.
In the sphere of the economy, the situation is not better. Women make up only 11% of company boards in the European Union. In Cyprus, the percentage is 17% women in total businesses, including small ones. In the management of large businesses, women are essentially absent, as they constitute only 3% of Presidents. In Greece and Cyprus, there is not a single female president of a company or organization with significant economic power.
Related research conducted in Sweden showed that large companies that include a significant number of women on their Boards of Directors have higher profits and more fixed assets compared to companies without women in their management. According to a 2007 research by McKinsey&Company titled “Women Matter,” companies with three or more women in senior positions perform better both financially and organizationally.
Equality, meritocracy, and effectiveness vs patriarchy
Unfortunately, despite the undeniable progress that has been made, gender gaps and inequalities largely remain, as a result of patriarchal structures, entrenched perceptions, and outdated traditions that resist change, with serious consequences not only for the lives of women but also for the effectiveness of the economy. It is a common belief that women, when placed in conditions of genuine equality and meritocracy, perform just as well or often better than men. It is unacceptable, in times of economic crisis, not to harness the abilities of women.
Greece in the ranking of the World Economic Forum, based on gender equality, fell to 86th place in 2009 (down from 69th in 2006, 72nd in 2007, 75th in 2008). Correspondingly, Cyprus rose from 83rd in 2006 to 76th in 2008 and then fell back to 80th in 2009.
What is to be.
A few days ago, on March 5, the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and Vice President Mrs. Viviane Reding presented the new Charter for Women’s Rights, a political declaration that commits the Commission to incorporating the gender dimension into all its policies over the next five years. One of these areas of action is equal representation in decision-making centers.
Specifically, the European Commission committed that throughout the duration of its five-year term, the following principles of gender equality will characterize all of its actions: 1. Equal economic independence 2. Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value 3. Equality in decision-making 4. Protection of dignity, integrity, and elimination of gender-based violence 5. Gender equality beyond the borders of the EU – in relations with third countries.
On the same day, the start of the second phase of the European campaign to address the gender pay gap between men and women was announced, as well as the results of the Eurobarometer on Gender Equality.
The balanced participation of men and women in shaping the future, in public offices, and in decision-making is a democratic imperative and is necessitated by the extraordinary needs created by the international economic crisis. Political parties, non-governmental organizations, and the media can and must play a decisive role in building a society where the abilities and ideas of both genders of humanity are adequately utilized.
Priorities 2020
The year 2010 is a significant milestone for women, as well as a starting point for the next decade. The priorities until 2020, in my opinion, should include:
- Incorporation of gender equality (50/50), in all policies and at every level of decision-making, with particular emphasis on economic and environmental planning and social development.
- Abolition of divisions and discrimination in the labor market. Measures for balancing public and private life.
- Social security system that enhances the position of women in paid work, contributes to their economic independence, closes the gap in wages and incomes, cares for the welfare of children and their upbringing through quality care and education programs, and creates infrastructures for the elderly and people with disabilities.
- Elimination of violence and sexual exploitation of women and children.
- Social protection for women with disabilities, migrant women, refugees, and Roma women. Multiculturalism and respect for diversity should in no case be an excuse for the oppression of women.
- Let us carefully examine the use of language as well as the naming of children, according to the proposal of the academic Konstantinos Despotopoulos.
- Finally, we should involve more men in our fight. Gender equality is also their concern..
Dear ladies,
The times are not permanent.. We need vigilance on our part to maintain and expand our rights. Gender equality is a prerequisite for achieving a just and prosperous society for all. I wish every success to the struggles and aspirations of your Organization.