WUNRN
FAMILY BUSINESSES IN EUROPE – WOMEN’S RIGHTS & GENDER
EQUALITY
FEMM – European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights & Gender Equality
FEMM is considering the draft opinion to the ITRE own-initiative report on "Family Businesses in Europe" and will decide on the deadline for tabling amendments. The draftsperson Ms. Daniela Aiuto (EFDD) draws attention to horizontal and vertical gender segregation, wage and job discrimination as well as the difficulties that women have in taking over family businesses as successors. She has stressed that measures to protect women in this line must be applied and implemented more effectively.
Draft Opinion - http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fNONSGML%2bCOMPARL%2bPE-544.312%2b01%2bDOC%2bPDF%2bV0%2f%2fEN
DRAFT OPINION of the Committee on Women's Rights &
Gender Equality for the Committee on Industry, Research & Energy on Family
Businesses in Europe
(2014/2210(INI)) - Rapporteur: Daniela Aiuto
The Committee on Women's Rights & Gender
Equality calls on the Committee on Industry, Research & Energy, as the
committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions in its motion
for a Resolution:
A. Whereas there is a growing presence of women in
family businesses & women are a major resource in their ability to
influence strategies, decisions, management;
B. Whereas family businesses represent an important
career opportunity for women;
C. Whereas women encounter substantial difficulties
in their involvement in family businesses and are subject to ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’
gender segregation;
D. Whereas women often play an invisible role, or
act as figureheads, and do not have their job or salary status appropriately
recognised, which has serious
repercussions in terms
of social security contributions, pensions and welfare;
E. Whereas women have difficulty in taking over
family businesses as successors, given that preference is given to sons and
daughters are nearly always excluded;
1. Calls for measures to protect women to be applied
and implemented more effectively,
with a view to avoiding horizontal and vertical
segregation, wage and job discrimination
(invisibility and ‘figurehead’ treatment), providing
both genders with equal opportunities,
social rights and access to health;
2. Stresses the need to protect women’s right to
succession in family businesses, on a par
with men, by promoting a culture of fairness between
men and women which highlights
the entrepreneurial role of women in family
businesses, in positions of management,
responsibility and leadership;
3. Calls for the ‘mother-entrepreneur’ figure to be
promoted, in order to guarantee the right
to maternity and to grant financial assistance to
women who intend to devote themselves
to both their families and businesses;
4. Urges the European Union and Member States to
consider and include the protection of
women each time they legislate on matters relating to family businesses.