Social Europe

politics, economy and employment & labour

  • Projects
    • Corporate Taxation in a Globalised Era
    • US Election 2020
    • The Transformation of Work
    • The Coronavirus Crisis and the Welfare State
    • Just Transition
    • Artificial intelligence, work and society
    • What is inequality?
    • Europe 2025
    • The Crisis Of Globalisation
  • Audiovisual
    • Audio Podcast
    • Video Podcasts
    • Social Europe Talk Videos
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Dossiers
    • Occasional Papers
    • Research Essays
    • Brexit Paper Series
  • Shop
  • Membership
  • Ads
  • Newsletter

It’s time to make women truly count

by Mariana Vieira da Silva, Franziska Giffey, Taina Bofferding and Tytti Tuppurainen on 15th March 2021 @PES_Women

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

As the UN Commission on the Status of Women convenes, social-democratic ministers for gender equality call on Europe to unite for women’s rights.

Commission on the Status of Women,CSW
Mariana Vieira da Silva

One year into the Covid-19 pandemic, everyday life has been turned upside down. Many activities have come to a standstill or have shifted to the virtual sphere. But one thing has remained constant—the call for change and recognition of women and feminists around the globe. The pandemic has pushed many women to their limits.

Women play an important role in our society and they are bearing a disproportionate burden of this crisis. As our progressive governments have reiterated throughout the last 12 months, the pandemic has exposed existing gender inequalities.

Commission on the Status of Women,CSW
Franziska Giffey

On the frontline

Women are on the frontline of this crisis: they make up 76 per cent of EU healthcare workers and disproportionately work in jobs where exposure to the virus is high—as cashiers, cleaners, personal carers and teachers. Women are more likely to be in temporary, part-time and other forms of precarious employment, leaving them especially vulnerable to the economic consequences of the crisis. Lockdown measures have moreover led to a rise in unpaid care work for women and a further deterioration in their work-life balance and mental health. Gender-based violence has increased in many countries and access to sexual and reproductive health rights has been deprioritised or even restricted across the globe.

Commission on the Status of Women,CSW
Taina Bofferding

The 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women begins today and we reiterate our call to make women truly count, once and for all. We urge all European leaders to join us in making women count at all levels of policy-making—as citizens, caregivers, employers, workers and human beings.

At the CSW, Europe must stand united in its commitment to gender equality as a human right and fundamental value which must permeate national recovery plans, macroeconomic policy and global development. The recovery plans are an opportunity to enact structural change for gender equality, because the pandemic has revealed the blind-spots in our societies.

Cutting-edge thinking straight to your inbox

"Social Europe publishes thought-provoking articles on the big political and economic issues of our time analysed from a European viewpoint. Indispensable reading!"

Polly Toynbee

Columnist for The Guardian

Thank you very much for your interest! Now please check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
Commission on the Status of Women,CSW
Tytti Tuppurainen

Too little progress

Europe must take the lead in tackling these crucial issues and make a real difference for women. If we are to build back better, social and economic inclusion of women must be central to the digital and green transitions.

For us as progressives, it is clear that gender equality is part of the solution and cannot be put on hold. Advancing gender equality benefits society as a whole and Europe cannot afford to put women’s rights on the backburner any longer—26 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, too little progress has been made.

Indeed, especially in the context of a growing backlash against women’s rights and democracy, the fight for real gender equality is now more important than ever. That is why we, together with our progressive allies in Europe and globally, will continue to speak out alongside the unheard, fight against the marginalisation and under-representation of women and minorities, and demand accountability from conservative forces who obstruct progressive change. 

We, Party of European Socialists ministers for gender equality, have the political will to make women truly count.


Please help us improve public policy debates


As you may know, Social Europe is an independent publisher. We aren't backed by a large publishing house or big advertising partners. For the longevity of Social Europe we depend on our loyal readers - we depend on you. You can support us by becoming a Social Europe member for less than 5 Euro per month.

Thank you very much for your support!

Become a Social Europe Member

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
Home ・ Politics ・ It’s time to make women truly count

Filed Under: Politics

About Mariana Vieira da Silva, Franziska Giffey, Taina Bofferding and Tytti Tuppurainen

Mariana Vieira da Silva is minister of state for the presidency in Portugal. Franziska Giffey is federal minister for family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth in Germany. Taina Bofferding is minister for equality between women and men in Luxembourg. Tytti Tuppurainen is minister for European affairs and ownership steering and leader of Social Democratic Women in Finland.

Partner Ads

Most Popular Posts

global labour market A simul­taneously expanding and shrinking world Branko Milanovic
decarbonisation,energy transition Europe’s de­carbonisation challenge? ‘Wir schaffen das’ Adam Tooze
integrated review Lost an empire, not found a role Paul Mason
Uber v Aslam,UK Supreme Court Putting the brakes on the spread of indecent work Ruth Dukes and Wolfgang Streeck
debt cancellation,cancellation of debt,ECB Cancelling a debt we already own has a false allure Anne-Laure Delatte, Michel Husson, Benjamin Lemoine, Éric Monnet, Raul Sampognaro, Bruno Tinel and Sébastien Villemot

Other Social Europe Publications

RE No. 12: Why No Economic Democracy in Sweden?
US election 2020
Corporate taxation in a globalised era
The transformation of work
The coronavirus crisis and the welfare state

Social Europe Publishing book

With a pandemic raging, for those countries most affected by Brexit the end of the transition could not come at a worse time. Yet, might the UK's withdrawal be a blessing in disguise? With its biggest veto player gone, might the European Pillar of Social Rights take centre stage? This book brings together leading experts in European politics and policy to examine social citizenship rights across the European continent in the wake of Brexit. Will member states see an enhanced social Europe or a race to the bottom?

'This book correctly emphasises the need to place the future of social rights in Europe front and centre in the post-Brexit debate, to move on from the economistic bias that has obscured our vision of a progressive social Europe.' Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland


MORE INFO

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

Renewing labour relations in the German meat industry: an end to 'organised irresponsibility'?

Over the course of 2020, repeated outbreaks of Covid-19 in a number of large German meat-processing plants led to renewed public concern about the longstanding labour abuses in this industry. New legislation providing for enhanced inspection on health and safety, together with a ban on contract work and limitations on the use of temporary agency employees, holds out the prospect of a profound change in employment practices and labour relations in the meat industry. Changes in the law are not sufficient, on their own, to ensure decent working conditions, however. There is also a need to re-establish the previously high level of collective-bargaining coverage in the industry, underpinned by an industry-wide collective agreement extended by law to cover the entire sector.


FREE DOWNLOAD

ETUI advertisement

Social protection during the pandemic: freelancers in the creative industries

This working paper identifies some key areas of policy intervention for advancing socially sustainable and fair solutions for freelancers working in the creative industries, who are among those who have suffered the most from the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, the authors focus on those who work entirely on their own account, without employees (ie the ‘solo self-employed’), and who undertake project- or task-based work on a fixed-term basis.


DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Industrial relations: developments 2015-2019

Eurofound has monitored and analysed developments in industrial relations systems at EU level and in EU member states for over 40 years. This new flagship report provides an overview of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue in the years immediately prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Findings are placed in the context of the key developments in EU policy affecting employment, working conditions and social policy, and linked to the work done by social partners—as well as public authorities—at European and national levels.


CLICK FOR MORE INFO

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

#Care4Care!

It took us a global pandemic to realise that we depend on care. Despite all the clapping from the balconies, care workers continue to work in precarious and vulnerable conditions. Women, who represent 70% of the care workforce, continue to suffer from a severe lack of recognition for both their paid and unpaid care work. It’s time for a care revolution! It’s time to #Care4Care! The Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), together with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), has been intensively working since 2019 to monitor the EU gender equality policy agenda through a progressive lens focusing particularly on its care dimensions.


FIND OUT MORE HERE

About Social Europe

Our Mission

Article Submission

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

Find Social Europe Content

Search Social Europe

Project Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

.EU Web Awards