EUROPEAN UNION:THE EUROPEAN Parliament marked the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day yesterday by backing two resolutions focusing on gender equality and poverty.
In a ceremony to mark the anniversary, the parliament’s president Jerzy Buzek said there were too few women in the chamber. He said 35 per cent was not enough, “even though this is slightly more than in national parliaments”.
The need to narrow the gender pay gap, to get more women in decision-making positions and to raise the women’s employment rate were among key points in the resolution accompanying the report on gender equality in the EU. If women’s employment, part-time employment and productivity rates were similar to men’s, GDP would increase by 30 per cent, the resolution said.
It said only 3 per cent of major companies were chaired by a woman and called on member states to take measures, such as quotas, to ensure greater representation for women in major companies. It highlighted the fact that the pay gap between men and women stands at 18 per cent and member states were urged to implement equal pay for equal work laws properly. A call was made for the European Commission to impose sanctions on states which failed to do so.
A second resolution noted that nearly 85 million people in the EU were living below the poverty line in 2008, with 17 per cent of all women living in poverty.
Macroeconomic, social and labour market policies should be reformed to guarantee a minimum income as well as economic and social justice for women, the resolution said.
