International Women’s Day: Commission speaks up for women across the world and publishes 2019 Gender Equality Report

Ahead of International Women’s Day, taking place each year on 8 March, the Commission is speaking up for women’s rights in Europe and abroad, by issuing the following statement: “Europe ranks among the safest and most equal places for girls and women in the world. […] But […] Also in Europe women are still facing challenges, inequalities and threats in their everyday lives: abuses and harassment, lower wages, fewer job and career opportunities. And that is unacceptable. […] Many of the remaining inequalities are linked to the place of women at work. The EU’s new rules on Work-Life Balance will contribute to getting more women at work by giving families a real choice on how to organise their professional and private life. […] Women remain underrepresented in politics. In the upcoming European elections, we would like to see more women across the EU not only voting, but standing and succeeding as candidates. The Commission also calls for more women to be represented in the highest level of all EU institutions, including as Commissioners. This Commission has been leading by example: today we have 9 female Commissioners and women account for almost 40% of our managers. […] Gender equality is also at the core of our continuous engagement with partner countries worldwide. […] We are committed to giving all women and girls equal access to health services, education and economic empowerment, and the opportunities to shape their own future.” The full statement can be found here.

The Commission has also published its 2019 report on equality between women and men in the EU, under the responsibility of First Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourová. The good news is that Europe is making progress; however, we must speed up change. A press release with more details on the report is available online.

Also, as part of the Women in Digital programme, the Commission is organising the second Women in Cyber event to raise awareness about the need of women in cybersecurity. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, is also opening the Pioneers exhibition, which was organised in collaboration with Europeana, the Commission’s digital platform for cultural heritage, and celebrates innovative European women who have made significant contributions to art, science and society. Finally, Commissioner Avramopoulos will be at Europol in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he will meet Europol staff and Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, with whom he will also jointly pay tribute to women in law enforcement.

For more information on the Commission’s action in the field of gender equality, click here.

Eurostat data on the gender employment gap is available here, on women in managerial positions here, and statistics on women in national parliaments and governments here.