The EU Campaign against Gender Stereotypes: Ideas, Interests and Individual Freedom
In
It is a sad fact that inequalities between men and women are still prevalent in the EU and impacts on numerous aspects of women’s lives (pay gap, domestic violence, childcare, careers, overall income…).
However, the 2020-2025 gender equality strategy of the EU has reached certain results. It prolongs the progress made by the EU in that area over the last decades, thanks to legislation, gender mainstreaming (integration of the gender perspective into all other policies) and particular measures to empower women. According to the commission, positive trends are the following: higher number of women in the labour market and better education and training, even if the commission admits that even on the labour market there is still progress to be made. Thus, women are still over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions.
The EU Gender Equality Strategy aims to contribute to the Union of Equality advocated by the first Von der Leyen Commission with policy goals and actions to progress towards a gender-equal Europe by 2025. This long-term goal is defined as “a Union where women and men, girls and boys, in all their diversity, are free to pursue their chosen path in life, have equal opportunities to thrive, and can equally participate in and lead our European society.”
(Photo credit: Pexels-Tim Mossholder)