European charter will tackle gender inequality

THE EUROPEAN Commission has said it will address gender inequality over the next five years with a view to increasing representation of women at all levels of the decision-making process.

Commission president José Manuel Barroso yesterday announced details of the European Union Women's Charter, which he said highlighted a commitment to promoting gender equality in and beyond Europe.

The charter is based on five principles, including: the promotion of equal economic independence through greater equality in the labour market; and cutting the gender pay gap significantly during the mandate of the current commission. The average gender pay gap in the EU stands at 18 per cent in favour of men. Ireland is slightly below the EU average with the pay gap at 17.1 per cent.

The number of senior management positions held by women more than doubled from 1998 to 2008, but still stands at only 20 per cent. The commission said it would use all available instruments, both legislative and non-legislative, to reduce the gender pay gap and that the use of legal measures had not been ruled out.

“I am deeply concerned that the gender pay gap has barely fallen over the last 15 years and in some countries it is even increasing,” commission vice president Viviane Reding said. “In these times of crisis, the gender pay gap is a cost Europe cannot afford.”

The Women’s Charter also demands better representation of women in key decision-making roles; the eradication of all forms of violence against women; and finally to promote greater gender equality at an international level.

The initiative has been announced to mark International Women’s Day, which takes place on Monday, and is to be followed by a new European strategy on gender equality, for the period 2010 to 2015, later this year.

Commenting on the proposal in Brussels yesterday, Mr Barroso said equality was about men as well as women. “It is an issue that affects everyone in our society and economy as a whole,” he said.

“It is only through true equality that we can offer a better life and a sustainable future to all – both women and men.”