“Countdown: Thailand`s Women Preparation to ASEAN Community in 2015”
Bangkok, 26 th of March, 2012
Renate Wielpütz www.esf-gleichstellung.de
Lohmühlenstraße 65
12435 Berlin
Tel.:+49 /(0)30/53 338-948

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Content
 State of the art of the implementation of Gender Equality in the European Union
 Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming
 EU history, structures and objectives
 The European Union – political power and institutions
 Legislation on Gender Equality in the European Union
 Financial instruments to support Gender Equality
 Gender Equality Strategy and Gender Equality Pact
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State of the art of the implementation of Gender
Equality in the European Union
Women and Men on the EU Labour Market
 Employment rate: women 62.1 %, men 75,1% in 2010 , EU target: 60 %, varies from 40 to 70 % in the Member States; average gap between men and women 13% (target for 2020: raise to 75% for women and men)
 Women: high rate of precarious contracts, involuntary part-time
 Pay gap: 17,6 % (EU average), 23% in Germany
 At-risk-of-poverty rate higher for women (17%) than men (15 %)
 Women in decision making: In the economic sector women represent only one out of 10 board members in EU blue-chip companies and 3% among leaders of the boards
 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=de&catId=89&newsId=660
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Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming – a definition …..
 “Gender mainstreaming is the integration of the gender perspective into every stage of policy processes – design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation – with a view to promoting equality between women and men. It means assessing how policies impact on the life and position of both women and men – and taking responsibility to re-address them if necessary.” http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/tools/index_en.htm
 Gender Equality -> Objective!
 EU Gender Equality Strategy -> a dual approach
 Gender Mainstreaming -> the need for addressing and changing structures and systems, thematic issues and capacity building
 Specific actions -> addressing groups of women or men (in their diversity) in order to “compensate” or tackle discrimination from the past
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EU: History, structures and objectives
From Roma to Lisbon – Treaties and strategies for gender equality
 1957 – Treaty of Roma – equal pay for equal work
 1986 – Single European Act
 1992 – Maastricht Treaty
 1997 – Treaty of Amsterdam – legal basis for Gender
Mainstreaming and specific ations + anti discrimination
 2001 – Treaty of Nice
 2007 – Treaty of Lisbon – numeric targets for employment rate for women: 60% until 2010
2010 – EU Strategy 2020 – employment rate for women:
75% until 2020 http://europa.eu/abc/history/index_de.htm
http://europa.eu/institutions/index_de.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/news/documents/pdf/20100303_1_de.pdf
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EU: History, structures and objectives
Guiding principles for all policies in the EU:
 Harmonisation of prosperity and living conditions
 Structural and regional development
 Gender Equality and anti discrimination
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The European Union – political power and institutions
 The European Parliament http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-parliament/index_en.htm
 The European Council http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-council/index_en.htm
 The European Commission http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-commission/index_en.htm
 The Court of Justice of the European Union http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/court-justice/index_en.htm
 The Committee of the regions http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/cor/index_en.htm
more EU institutions: http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/index_en.htm
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Directives of European Union - Examples
 Council Directive on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to the application of the principle of equal pay for men + women stipulates equal pay for equal work and work of equal value;
 Equal Treatment Directive establishes prohibition against direct or indirect discrimination (the latter means that a rule that appears to be neutral might in actual fact be disadvantageous for a particular group, as in the case of a decision by an employer to pay lower pensions to part-time workers, as almost all of those who work part-time are women);
 Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council
Directive on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions
 CD on the burden of proof in cases of discrimination based on sex stipulates who has to prove what in cases involving gender discrimination
(it is up to the employer suspected of discrimination to show that there has been no discrimination based on gender in the workplace);
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Legislation on Gender Equality in the European Union
 Council Directive on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security guarantees equal rights to social security;
 Council Directive on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in occupational social security schemes protects women’s and men’s right to be treated equally where company or occupational social security schemes are concerned, with regard to pension entitlement, for instance;
 Council Directive of on the framework agreement on parental leave stipulates that both women and men should have the right to at least three months unpaid parental leave;
 Council Directive on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity, including agriculture, in a self-employed capacity, and on the protection of self-employed women during pregnancy and motherhood.
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Financial instruments to support Gender Equality
 EU Struktural Funds/Agricultural Fund:
- ESF - European Social Fund http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/index_en.htm
- ERDF - European Regional Development Fund http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/prordn/details_new.cfm?gv_P
AY=DE&gv_reg=1065&gv_PGM=1099&LAN=4&gv_PER=2&gv_defL=4
- EAFRD - European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/agriculture/general_framework/l6
0032_en.htm
 More than 700 funding programs like „Life Long Learning Program“
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Gender Equality Strategy and Gender Equality Pact
 Equal economic independence
 Equal pay for equal work and of equal value
 Equality in decision making
 Dignity, Integrity and an end to gender-based violence
 Gender equality in external actions
 Horizontal issues like
Gender roles
Legislation http://ec.europa.eu/justice/genderequality/files/strategy_equality_women_men_en.pdf
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Gender Equality – needs and requirements
What is needed to reach gender equality?
 Political will
 Legislation
 Funding
 Gender equality strategy
 Dual gender equality approach
 Gender Budgeting
 Gender competences and capacity building on all levels of all organization:
Knowledge: …. the causes of gender based inequalities and discrimination, impact of gender stereotypes and the gender gaps within thematic issues
Implementing competences: …. the use of approaches, methods, instruments of gender mainstreaming/dual approach, to tackle hurdles and design promoting framework conditions
Will: …. ready and able to act from a gender perspective, openess for change processes
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