WUNRN
European Women's Lobby - EWL
EWL PUBLISHES REPORT ON IMPACT OF
AUSTERITY MEASURES ON EUROPEAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS & GENDER EQUALITY
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As predicated in the previous
joint EWL/Oxfam publication in 2010, Women’s poverty and social exclusion at a
time of recession – An invisible crisis?, the first ‘wave’ of the crisis was a
private sector crisis which impacted more on the male dominated sectors of the
economy (car industry..), the extension of the crisis to the public sector
impacts on women more.
Based on a survey of EWL member
organisations as well as other sources, the study maps the pattern of the
impact of austerity measures on women and gender equality. Focusing on three
areas, namely, cuts in public sector jobs and wages, cuts in services
and benefits and cuts in funding for women’s rights and gender equality
the findings reveal that the crisis is not a he-cession after all, as the
official statistics do not tell the full story. For example, while women’s
unemployment rate is close to that of men’s, statistics fail to capture the
fact that when women become unemployed they tend to withdraw from the
labour-market or as involuntary part-time workers they are counted as being
employed. Cuts in public services and benefits translate into a care crisis, as
reductions in care services, cuts in child, disability, carers’ benefits and
reductions in tax credits, are translating into the privatisation of care. Cuts
in statutory leave, including parental and paternity leave, are preventing men
from taking their share of care, with the result that women’ real choices to
engage in paid work on the labour market are compromised.
The EWL study questions the long
term impact of austerity measures on women’s rights and gender relations,
particularly equality between women and men. The impact of austerity measures
could roll back years of progress. Women’s employment rate in 22 countries is
back to 2005 levels, a far cry - which will require massive investments – from
the EU’s headline target to reach a 75% employment rate for women and men by
2020. When States fail to provide public services and reassess their role in
income and wealth distribution, women pay the price. More worryingly gender
equality is damaged as the danger of a return to entrenched traditional gender
roles and expectations put women’s economic independence seriously at risk.
The erosion of gender equality
institutional mechanisms at national level, coupled with reductions in funding
to women’s NGOs, especially those providing vital services, the demand for
which is increasing in times of austerity, impacts on women’s capacity to
respond in terms of service delivery, protection of women’s rights and
advocacy. Austerity is silencing women’s voices.
Recommendations in the study call
on Member States to safeguard vital services use gender impact analysis and
gender budgeting tools. The European Commission must take a leadership role to
halt the damage that is being done in recommending to Member States to reform
labour markets and undertake social welfare reforms which are directly
resulting in austerity measures. Finally, the study urgently invites women’s
NGOs to engage in budgetary processes and to lobby finance ministers.