WUNRN
European Women's Lobby - EWL
EUROPEAN
WOMEN'S LOBBY PUBLISHES FEMINIST OVERVIEW OF
WOMEN'S
RIGHTS & GENDER EQUALITY IN 30 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
[Brussels,
15 November 2013] The European Women’s Lobby is pleased to introduce its latest
publication Women’s Watch
2012-2013, a feminist overview of women’s rights and gender
equality in 30 European countries.
This publication, available in English and French, is the first of its kind – a genuinely feminist appraisal of the situation on the ground in 30 European countries with regards to women’s rights and gender equality, judged by the yardstick of the European Women’s Lobby’s ideals. The Women’s Watch report is a snapshot of the situation during a two year period (2012-2013) and looks both at legislation and statistical data with 30 very short country pages.
The report looks at women’s situation and gender equality in three main areas: women in decision-making, women’s economic independence and care responsibilities, and violence against women and women’s sexual and reproductive rights, while also looking at the links between those areas.
With European parliamentary elections and a newly appointed European Commission coming up in 2014, the EWL, the largest umbrella organisation of women’s NGO in Europe, urges decision-makers at all levels to take into account the findings of this Women’s Watch report and to use them as a tool for change towards full equality between women and men, in all spheres of life.
Main Report Findings:
Women in decision making
Women are increasingly visible in elected office, however when it comes to real
positions of decision making power; heads of political parties, senior
ministries, positions on corporate boards, women disappear. The report also
sees that the incremental approach to participation in decision-making without
binding measures has been effective in some countries, but it concludes that
this has taken decades and that as European elections approach there is no more
time to waste: parity works, let’s implement it!
Women’s economic independence and care responsibilities
The report observes that the crisis and austerity policies are potentially
jeopardising decades of progress towards gender equality. Women’s employment
rates had been growing steadily but have stalled in the last year and the quality
of women’s work is decreasing. The gender pay and pensions gap are persistent
and are one facet of the impact of provision of care places for children and
for the elderly on women’s lives and choices. Therefore the report demands a multi-layered
approach that focuses on equality in paid and unpaid work between women and men
and on the promotion of women’s economic independence.
Violence against women and women’s sexual and reproductive rights
There is still a high discrepancy between legislations addressing violence
against women throughout Europe, therefore creating inequalities between women
in terms of protection from violence. Violence against women also remains
invisible because of the lack of data, at European and national level. This is
why the EWL is calling for a European Strategy and Year to raise
awareness and develop consistent action to end this pervasive violation of
women’s rights. In terms of women’s sexual and reproductive rights,
the report shows that the right to abortion is still not granted everywhere in
Europe, and that there is an obvious lack of sexuality education, which is
instrumental for achieving equality between men and women.
With European parliamentary elections and a newly appointed European Commission on the agenda in 2014, the EWL, the largest women’s NGO umbrella organisation in Europe, urges decision-makers at all levels to take into account the findings of this Women’s Watch report and to use them as a tool for change towards full equality between women and men, in all spheres of life, including public policies.
To download the Women’s Watch in PDF format, click here
Women in decision-making (ENG/FR)
Women’s economic independence and care responsibilities
(ENG/FR)
Violence against women and women’s sexual and reproductive rights (ENG/FR)
For country specific pages, please click on the country Austria - Belgium - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - FYROM - Germany- Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Italy- Latvia- Lithuania - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Slovakia- Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Turkey - United Kingdom
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