(13/03/07) Commissie moet concrete maatregelen nemen tegen aanhoudende ongelijkheid tussen de geslachten

• 2007-03-13

Vandaag keurde het EP een rapport goed over gelijkheid tussen mannen en vrouwen. Gezien de ongelijkheid aanhoudt zijn dringend nieuwe maatregelen en strategieën nodig. De Commissie mag geen stap terug zetten in haar inspanningen om hier iets aan te veranderen. Er zijn concrete maatregelen nodig, ook wat betreft het geweld tegen vrouwen.

Vrouwen zijn nog steeds oververtegenwoordigd in jobs met een lage verantwoordelijkheid en een laag loon. 30 jaar geleden werd de eis al gesteld dat een gelijke job gedaan moest worden tegen een gelijk loon. Gemiddeld verdienen vrouwen in de Unie nu nog steeds 15% minder dan hun mannelijke collega's. In sommige lidstaten loopt dat op tot 33%.

Persbericht van het EP

Gender Equality Roadmap
Concrete legislative proposals needed to address persisting problem of gender inequality

The European Parliament today adopted a roadmap for equality between women and men. After the vote, Green MEP Raül Romeva i Rueda , vice-chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality said:
"With imbalances between women and men persisting at all levels, it is becoming increasingly clear that new approaches, new strategies and new methods are needed to reach the goal of gender equality. However, despite high expectations the Gender Roadmap proposed by the Commission for 2006-10 represents a step backwards when compared with the first Framework Action Plan on Gender Equality. The report adopted by the EP today makes clear that Commission must come forward with concrete legislative proposals to address the continuing problems of gender inequality, as well as on violence against women.

"The labour market remains gender segregated: women are over-represented in low-wage, low-status and precarious jobs and under-represented in managerial and professional occupations. 40% of the newly created jobs are a-typical work mainly done by women. Despite the implementation of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, which was introduced 30 years ago through the Directive on equal pay for men and women, the gender pay gap between men and women in the EU is still 15% on average and up to 33% in some EU Member States.

"The Parliament's call for an end to the opt-out from the Working Time Directive is crucial to reconciling the conflict between work and family life."