The EU Policy on Gender Equality, Rhodes

The struggle for women’s rights and gender equality in Europe has been a long and arduous process. It has evolved from the demand for the right to vote in the early 20th century, through the fight for political and social emancipation, the establishment of legislation, regulations, and quotas, to today’s policy of integrating the gender dimension at all levels. This ensures that gender is considered in all areas, at every stage and level of the political process, from research and planning to implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Undoubtedly, women’s organizations played a significant role in shaping European policy on gender equality. Moreover, women in Europe constitute the dominant social force, as 85% of the members of non-governmental organizations are women.

Since its establishment, the European Community, through the Treaty of Rome (1957), had institutionalized the principle of equal pay for women and men. Subsequently, a series of legislative measures were proposed to ensure equal rights in access to employment, vocational training, working conditions, and social protection. During the 1970s and 1980s, five directives on equality in employment were issued. In 1992, the sixth directive for the protection of pregnant women was issued, and in 1996 a seventh for parental leave. In 1995, at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing, the European Union articulated a clear and unified message, helping to establish the understanding that “women’s rights are human rights,” and that women, as half of humanity, are entitled to enjoy the same rights as the other half, men. The EU’s positions formed the basis for positive agreements and the creation of a commonly accepted Global Platform for Action.

The most significant development, however, is marked by the signing of the Amsterdam Treaty, which came into force on May 1, 1999, significantly strengthening the legal basis for the promotion of women’s rights.

The Community reiterates the importance of equality between men and women and emphasizes its aim to eliminate inequalities and promote equality between men and women at the level of employment and social protection (Articles 2 & 3). For the first time, equality is defined as a fundamental objective of the Community, and all institutions of the Union and member states are required to take the principle of equality into account in all their policies.

A new article, Article 13, states that the European Council, on the proposal of the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, may adopt measures to combat discrimination based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation.

The well-known Article 119, which had remained unchanged since 1957 and provided for the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work between men and women, is replaced by Article 141 and is expanded with three new elements:
1. Equal pay applies not only to equal work but also to work of equal value. This is of immense importance for lawyers who base laws on the Treaty.
2. The concept of employment is broadened to include all areas of work, not just paid employment. This allows for the coverage of forms of work, such as home-based work, which is particularly relevant in Greece.
3. Positive actions in favor of the less represented gender in a specific sector of employment are allowed. It has even been stated that the less represented gender is most often women.

To further promote this policy, on June 7, 2000, the European Commission, following a proposal from the Greek Commissioner Ms. Anna Diamantopoulou, approved a comprehensive framework strategy for gender equality (2001-2005), which represents the first integrated approach. A key element of this strategy is the incorporation of the gender dimension at all levels of policy, thereby connecting all community initiatives for gender equality:

Equality in economic life
Equality in social rights
Equality in decision-making
Equality in citizenship rights and daily life
Redistribution of gender roles and combating stereotypes

The European Council of Lisbon (March 2000) set new ambitious goals to increase the employment rate of women to 60% by 2010, up from the current 53%, in order to address the demographic challenge. The aging of the workforce, which also puts pressure on pension systems, has raised alarms for finding long-term and sustainable solutions. It has been estimated that attracting a larger number of women into work and training is a vital necessity to ensure high levels of social protection and social security. In summary, women are key to the future prosperity of Europe.

A significant milestone for the issue of gender equality was the recent European Council in Barcelona (March 15-16, 2002), where for the first time decisions were made to create care infrastructures by 2010 across the territory of the European Union, aiming to meet at least 90% of the needs for children from 3 years old until the age of compulsory education, and at least one-third for children under 3 years old. Furthermore, there should be at least one computer connected to the internet for every 15 children.

It is also worth noting that the Spanish Presidency highlighted the fight against violence against women, in its various forms, as one of its priorities, particularly:

Domestic violence
Sexual violence
Workplace violence

The European Parliament Committee for promoting initiatives and positive actions regarding gender equality is the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, of which I have the honor to be the chair. This committee was established in 1979 as a temporary investigative committee to examine the status of women in Europe. In 1984, it was transformed into a permanent committee of the European Parliament and has significantly contributed to shaping European policy on equality.

In the context of its mainstreaming strategy, the policy of the Structural Funds plays an important role, as they are considered the main community tool for promoting equal opportunities between men and women. The funding of programs introduced by the European Parliament (NOW, DAPHNE, LEADER, URBAN, EMPLOYMENT) has significantly helped in reducing the inequalities present in the field of employment, access to the labor market, and the protection of women from violence and exploitation. Similar initiatives have also been undertaken within the framework of the 3rd Community Support Framework, particularly through the EQUAL program, aimed at reducing unemployment. Theoretically, this new mainstreaming policy provides more opportunities for changing the dominant culture in politics, trade unions, the economy, and family life.

On February 28, 2002, the Assembly for the Future of Europe began in Brussels, specifically addressing the new model of Governance, in light of the significant historical endeavor of the EU’s enlargement with the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, Cyprus, and Malta. As is well known, Europe is the first in the world to discuss the participation of non-governmental organizations in the new governance model, that is, the collaboration between civil society and political authority.

However, we were greatly saddened to note the small participation of women in the Assembly (15 women as regular members out of a total of 105). Women are also absent from the Presidency of the Assembly, which was regarded as a very poor symbol, both by the Committee on Women’s Rights of the EU and by the European Women’s Lobby. Unfortunately, once again, the member states and political groups, except for the socialists and the greens, operated based on the androcentric model of governance and the patriarchal structures of society, ignoring their declared principles and commitments.

Gender equality and the integration of the gender dimension in all policies concern providing women with equal opportunities in society, education, the economy, the labor market, and central and local political authorities. Ultimately, they relate to the respect for the fundamental freedoms and rights of half the population of Europe, and to the democratic values on which the EU is founded. We hope that these will be taken into account during the revision of the Treaties and the planning for the future, so that the Democracy of Equality becomes a reality and a driver of development, prosperity, and peace.