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By Antigoni Papadopoulou, Cyprus MEP
Fifteen years since the fourth World conference on Women in Beijing (1995), there is little doubt that substantial progress has been achieved internationally with regards to gender equality.
The EU has played a major role in equal treatment legislation by mainstreaming the gender dimension into its policies. Its proposals to reconcile work and family life, to introduce more childcare facilities near the workplace (in accordance with the Lisbon and Barcelona targets), and to extend maternity, paternity, and parental leave, should be highly lauded and rapidly adopted.
Positive trends aside however there persist large democratic deficits across the world. Worse still, gender equality policies and budgets now appear worryingly short-term in the wake of the financial crisis. Women’s increased participation in the workplace, which accounted for almost a quarter of the EU’s annual economic growth prior to the crisis, is today threatened. The economic crisis has serious repercussions on the labour market for women.
Although female and male unemployment rates have been increasing at the same pace, men’s employment recovers more quickly and the risk of not being re-employed is higher for women. Women are more likely to be disadvantaged in the labour market owing to precarious contracts, involuntary part-time and persistent unfavourable pay gaps (17.6 % on average in the EU, 2007). Within the context of a male-oriented labour market, in times of financial crisis women find themselves facing the dilemma of having to choose between their careers or raising their children. More often they will opt for the latter hence facing higher risks of poverty.
An analysis of national responses to the financial crisis has confirmed that the downturn threatens to limit the budget for gender equality however we strongly believe that it is a precondition for sustainable growth and social cohesion. It pays off in terms of higher contribution to GDP, tax revenues and sustainable fertility rates.
Any post-Lisbon strategy therefore, such as the EU 2020, must utilise a gender-sensitive analysis of the labour market taking into account the differentiated impact of the crisis on men and women. We need strategies which create tax and benefit systems that provide financial incentives for women to work; strategies which combat the deficit in child care facilities, reconcile work and family life as well as encourage share of parenting equally.
Stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes remain obstacles and domestic violence and sex trafficking know no boundaries. Lack of women’s participation in decision making within political and economic spheres signals that power is still firmly in men’s hands. Women are underrepresented by only three per cent among the board leaders of Europe’s blue-chip companies!
However the broadest disparities in gender equality still exist in many developing and Muslim countries where traditional bad practices are still prevalent. Domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation and “honour” crimes are just a few democratic deficits still persisting which need preventative action.
The financial crisis and growing unemployment doesn’t excuse any delay in the development of a more comprehensive action plan for gender equality. Quite the contrary, the crisis should be seen as a challenge, because the elimination of discrimination against women, could be a driving force for social, economic and political recovery.
In an era of globalization, technological and progressive advances, introducing new gender-sensitive policies is essential. Mainstreaming gender policies into the EU 2020 and the UN Beijing +15 is a profitable long-term investment, rather than a short-term cost, which will reap benefits not only for women and the economy but for society as a whole.
