From Thea Pieridou
Press Officer at the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8, in commemoration of a large protest event held on March 8, 1857 by textile workers in New York, who demanded better working conditions. In Europe, equality between women and men is one of the fundamental values of the European Union as secured in the Treaty of Rome. The EU is a pioneer in tackling gender discrimination and Europe is the pre-eminent place that offers women the greatest degree of safety and equality in the world.
The European Parliament has always been very active in achieving equality between men and women and has a standing committee dealing with women's rights and gender equality. The European Parliament also frequently approves initiative reports on gender issues, calling for more efforts to be made to strengthen gender equality.
Maternity, paternity and parental leave
In 2019, MEPs wanted to improve work-life balance in the EU with rules on parental leave, flexible working arrangements and leave for carers. The aim is to avoid the need to choose between family and career and responsibilities to be shared better.
Gender pay gap
The European Parliament also calls for measures to bridge the wage gap between men and women, which in 2020 reached 13% and the pension gap, which in 2019 reached 29% at EU level. It also called for measures to fight poverty among women, as there are more women living in poverty in the EU than men. It is noted that the wage gap between men and women in Cyprus amounts to 9%.
In April 2022, the European Parliament backed the Commission's proposal for a Pay Transparency Directive obliging companies with at least 50 employees to make it easier for their employees to compare their salaries and to take active measures to tackle the pay gap.
The gender dimension in energy poverty
The cost-of-living crisis has a negative impact on women's socio-economic inclusion, fundamental rights and health. In addition, women who have lower or no incomes and are financially dependent on their partners have increased chances of domestic violence or abuse. The European Parliament is working to establish a Social Climate Fund to ensure that all Europeans, especially those in vulnerable situations, have access to affordable energy. The fund will finance both short-term and long-term measures to tackle energy poverty and mobility poverty.
Women on boards of directors
In November 2022, the European Parliament adopted a historic directive to strengthen the presence of women on the boards of EU stock exchange listed companies. It aims to establish transparent recruitment processes in companies so that at least 40% of non-executive directorships or 33% of all management positions to be filled by women by the end of June 2026.
Member States will have two years to implement the directive. Small and medium-sized enterprises employing fewer than 250 employees are excluded from the scope of the directive.
More women in ICT and science
Women are underrepresented in Europe's digital sector because they are less likely to study or apply for a job in the Information and Communication Technologies sector (ICT). In its resolution, the European Parliament calls on EU member states to take measures to ensure the full inclusion of women in the ICT sector and to strengthen education and training in ICT, science, mathematics and engineering.
The European Parliament works tirelessly to ensure women's rights and protecting these rights is of the utmost importance. In the EU, we want to achieve equality for girls and women in all aspects of their lives: access to education, access to leadership positions on company boards and in political life, protection from violence and equal pay for equal work.
