P2P Study Visit: “Women in Business” Roadmap for Equality between Men and Women COM(2006) 92 final from theory to action

Consultation and preparation for Roadmap involved: The Group of Commissioners on Fundamental Rights, Non-discrimination and Equal Opportunities The Inter-service Group on gender equality The Advisory Committee on equal opportunities for women and men

The High Level Group on gender mainstreaming. The high level Group on Gender mainstreaming in the structural funds. The Advisory Committee on women and rural areas.

Group of Experts on Gender Equality in development cooperation The Helsinki Group on Women and Science The European Network to promote Women’s Entrepreneurship (WES) The Expert Group on Trafficking in Human Beings

Network of gender focal points Network of focal points on equal opportunities European Economic and Social Committee

Social Partners Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities European Women’s Lobby

Communication from the Commission Part I The Roadmap outlines six priority areas

1. Achieving Equal Economic Independence for Women & Men Reaching the Lisbon employment target Eliminating the gender pay gap Women entrepreneurs

Gender equality in social protection and the fight against poverty Recognising the gender dimension in health Combating multiple discrimination in particular against immigrant and ethnic minority women

Flexible working arrangements for both women and men Increasing care services Better reconciliation policies for both men and women 2. Enhancing Reconciliation of Work, Private and Family Life

3. Promoting Equal Participation of Women and Men in decision making women’s participation in politics women in economic decision-making women in science and technology

eradicating gender-based violence elimination of trafficking in human beings 4. Eradicating Gender based Violence and Trafficking

5. Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in Society elimination of gender stereotypes in education, training and culture elimination of gender stereotypes in the labour market elimination of gender stereotypes in the media

enforcement of EU legislation in acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries promotion of gender equality in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), external and development policies 6. Promoting Gender equality outside the EU

Social Partners Approach Framework of Actions on Gender Equality: UNICE – Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederation of Europe UEAPME – European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized enterprises CEEP – European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation ETUC – European Trade Union Confederation The European social partners are committed to enhancing gender equality on the labour market and in the workplace

The adoption of the framework of actions ( ) 1. the implementation of the Lisbon strategy for economic growth, more and better jobs and social cohesion 2. the implementation of the EU legislative framework on equality treatment between men and women 3. Addressing gender segregation in an integrated approach

4. addressing gender equality through social partners’ actions 5. embedding gender equality initiatives in broader diversity management policies

Challenges Living up to the economic, demographic and social challenges facing Europe today requires a new perspective of the role of women and men as economic actors in relation to their roles in society. The challenge is to encourage women to become and remain active in the labour market.

The Lisbon strategy. The need to take measures to improve women’s participation in the labour market is an integral part of the Lisbon Strategy The objective to reach an employment rate as close as possible to 70% and to increase the number of women in employment from 51% to more than 60% by 2010 (Lisbon conclusions 2000)

Removing disincentives to women’s labour force participation, taking into account the demand for childcare facilities providing by 2010 childcare for at least 90% of children between 3years and mandatory school age and at least 33% of children under 3 years of age (Council conclusions Barcelona 2002) To achieve by 2010 a substantial reduction in the gender pay gap in each member state through a multi-faceted approach.

Women continue to be more vulnerable than men to unemployment and economic inactivity especially when they have a low level of education Persistent difficulties to reconcile family responsibilities with full time employment Interrupted patterns of employment Women’s and men’s educational choices tend to reproduce gender stereotypes

Actions and follow-up Promoting this framework of actions in Member States National social partners to draw up an annual report on the actions carried out in Member States The European Social Dialogue Committee will be responsible for the preparation of the overall European report After four annual reports, the European social partners will evaluate the impact of both companies and workers When preparing the next social dialogue work programme, the social partners will take account of the framework of actions

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Equality between women and men SOC/241 – CESE 823/2006 fin President Barroso's personal commitment to the adoption of the Roadmap and agrees with the importance of involving all stakeholders in the implementation of its priorities.

Recommendations: common priorities in the coordination of employment policies national governments, national equality bodies and the social partners of all Member States have a clear obligation to ensure that the pay systems do not lead to pay discrimination; recommends that with regard to women entrepreneurs, strategies should aim at improving women's access to bank credits and bank services.

recommends that the national curricula should include entrepreneurship education; measures be taken to make more women graduate in scientific/technical disciplines in order to address the employment gender gaps that exist in technical areas like engineering and ICT- related services; proposes that strategies with regard to gender equality in social protection and the fight against poverty;

concrete policy proposals aimed at encouraging single parents to develop marketable skills and to facilitate their access to employment; believes that the national strategies for health and long term care should include integrated policies that address women health standards at work; calls for increased consideration, investigation and analysis of the impact of the demands for caring for others and the resulting drain on women's physical and mental health;

The open method of coordination should be applied to the field of health care and incorporate gender equality objectives; the phenomenon of feminisation of migration and gender equality be fully mainstreamed into EU policy and actions at each stage of the migration process; recognises the importance of developing measures, including the setting of precise targets and indicators, to ensure the provision of care for children as well as for dependent elderly and disabled;

recommends the introduction of targets and deadlines in order to increase female participation in all forms of decision-making; recommends the development of a European Action Plan on Violence Against Women; calls for Member States to ensure that measures are implemented in order to grant victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation increased rights and support;

recommends the development of pan-European awareness actions on zero-tolerance for sexist insults and degrading images of women in the media; finds that Member States should ensure that audiovisual commercial communications do not include any discrimination on grounds of race, sex or nationality recommends the introduction of gender training modules in media-training institutions and strong mechanisms aimed at gender balance at all decision-making levels within the media industry;

In the context of the EU Development Policy women should have adequate access to EU financial assistance channelled particularly through national projects carried out by women's organisations calls for the European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) policy to prioritise aid and financial assistance for women in gender-based violence perpetrated during conflicts;

believes that improving governance for gender equality is crucial to the success of the Roadmap; it recommends the strengthening of mechanism for dialogue and consultation with organised civil society, in particular with women's organisations at national level; calls for the setting-up of a Gender Budgeting Working Group within the Commission's DG Budget and the carrying- out of a separate gender impact assessment of the EU budget on an annual basis.

Looking ahead In the framework of the European Parliamentary report on the Commission Roadmap for Gender Equality a Hearing was held by the Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (MEP Ms Sartori) Grace Attard, Vice-President NCW, EESC member