“Gender aware policy making in the EU ”

Presentation by Agnès Hubert (Bureau of European Policy Advisers-European Commission)

EIGE European Conference, Vilnius 13-14 november 2012

BEPA activities concentrate on the early stage of the policy cycle, thereby helping to shape policy options in the medium and long term.

BEPA provides the President of the European Commission, his College of Commissioners and the Commission services with strategic thinking and policy advice.

Gender Mainstreaming : a new paradigm

Gender equality in current challenges

Instruments: EU 2020, Annual Growth Survey, European Semester

Integrating Gender : a paradigm for change

1991-1996 Third Community action program for equality between women and men

1994 White paper on employment, growth and competivity

1995 Beijing conference

1996 Communication on Gender mainstreaming

1997 Treaty of Amsterdam

2009 Treaty of Lisbon

The Treaty of Lisbonne

Gender equality is a european value (art1bis); a

principle to promote (art 2) conditions sanctions(art7)

and the accession of new MS (art49); Gender must be

mainstreamed in all EU policies (art8) professional

equality (art157) Charter+ Declaration 19 on gender violence

More Qualified majority decisions in the Council Increased Capacity in external policy Insistance on good gouvernance and citizens rights (charter

of fundamental rights) Increased power of parliaments (European et national) and

of citizens (right of initiative)

• From equality for women to gender equality: from a private issue to a political issue (social construction/power relations)

• Equal treatment/ Positive actions/ Gender mainstreaming

• Add women to existing institutions/add women and adapt institutions/use gender as a social construction

A competitive Europe : growth , employment, care, demography ,education

A democratic Europe :women’s rights is a test case for democracy; Parity representation in political, economic, social institutions

A secure Europe: violence against women, root cause of violences

A sustainable Europe : gender equality and climate change

Promoting change: gender mainstreaming

Where the EU wants to be by 2020 :

Employment: 75 % of women and men aged 20-64 should be employed.

Research: 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in R&D.

Environment: The "20/20/20" climate/energy targets should be met

Education: The share of early school leavers should be under 10% and at least 40% of the younger generation should have a tertiary degree.

Poverty: 20 million less people should be at risk of poverty.

Role of EU BUDGET 2014-20

Gender mainstreaming supports a reorganization process of policies to integrate the needs of users

Women have less stakes in existing institutions

Women at the vanguard of organizations which conciliate growth of well being, respect of the environment, social cohesion

“So long as an opinion is strongly rooted in the feelings, it gains rather than loses in stability by having a preponderating weight of argument against it.”

― John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women

Growth

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

SI BG PT LV FI LT RO PL FR SE DK BE LU HU EE EU27 DE CY SK IT AT ES CZ IE UK NL EL M T

Potential growth in GDP in the EU Member States following a transition to full equality in the labour

market, in % of GDP

Source: A. Löfgren, Gender equality, economic grow th and employment, 2009. This report has been presented at the conference under

Sw edish Presidency "What does gender equality mean for grow th and employment?", 15-16 October, Stockholm. These figures are an

estimation of the potential increase in the GDP that w ould occur follow ing the elimination of gender gaps, i.e. if w omen's rates w ere to

reach the level of men's rates in terms of employment rate, part-time rate and productivity (measured by w ages).

EMPLOYMENT: Labour market participation of women and men

Employment rates (women and men aged 15 - 64) in EU Member States- 2008

59,1

72,8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

DK SE NL FI EE AT UK DE LV SI CY PT LT FR IE BG EU27 CZ BE LU ES SK RO PL HU EL IT MT

pe

rcen

t

Women Men

Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey (LFS), annual averages.

Lisbon target

for total

employment

rate in 2010

Lisbon target

for women's

employment

rate in 2010

Inactivity and part-time work among women due to the lack of care services for children and

other dependent persons (% of total female population having care responsibilities), in 2008

29,9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

NL SE DK SK FI CZ FR EE AT IT BG LU CY EU27 PT HU BE DE PL LT SI ES EL LV RO

Source: Eurostat - Labour force survey. IE, MT, UK : data not available.

Care: white jobs

Skills :Education of women and men (tertiary)

Sex distribution of tertiary education graduates, for EU Member States, in 2007

59

41

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

LV EE LT HU PL SE FI SI SK PT BG RO EL CY EU IT ES BE UK DK MT CZ IE NL FR DE AT

pe

rcen

t

Women Men

Source: Eurostat, Education statistics.

Note : LU : no data available. The EU-27 value is calculated on the basis of all countries except LU.

Composition of Company boards 2011

13,6

86,4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

LV FI SE FR NL UK DK CZ DE BG SK SI LT E

U-

27

PL AT ES BE RO IE EE EL IT PT LU HU CY MT

pe

rcen

t

Women Men

Source: European Commission,Database on women and men in decision-making.

Data were collected in October 2011. The list of the largest publicly quoted companies is based for each country

on current membership of blue-chip index. In countries for which the blue-chip index includes a small number of

companies (for instance LU, SK), at least the 10 largest companies were covered.