Did you miss the conference? Watch the highlights!

 

About the conference

EIGE revealed the new scores for gender equality in the EU and showed trends over time during an online event on 28 October 2021. Decision-makers and experts discussed the findings of the Gender Equality Index, and highlighted areas where the EU can improve.

The conference also explored the 2021 special focus of the Index: health. We dove into the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and looked at the topics of mental and sexual and reproductive health.

Agenda

Time refers to CET

09:30 – 10:00 Online registration

10:00 – 10:20 Welcome

  • Carlien Scheele, Director, European Institute for Gender Equality, EIGE
  • Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, European Commission
  • Janez Cigler Kralj, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia
  • Hans Henri P. Kluge, Director, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe 
Event moderator
  • Jack Parrock, Journalist and Conference Moderator

10:20 – 10:40 Gender Equality Index 2021: Fragile gains, big losses

This is the moment to reveal the new scores for gender equality in the EU and all Member States.

Tune in to see:

  • If your country has improved its ranking or dropped down a notch
  • What is boosting gender equality and what is dragging us down
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting gender equality​

10:40 – 11:40 How can we put gender equality at the core of Europe’s Covid-19 recovery?

During this panel, we will look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different groups of women and men, and discuss how we can make the most of the EU’s recovery and resilience facility to improve gender equality in Europe.

Speakers

  • Dragos Pislaru, Member of the European Parliament
  • Alba González Sanz, Advisor to the Minister for Equality, Spain
  • Maria Teresa Fabregas Fernandez, Director for Recovery and Resilience II, Recovery and Resilience Task Force, European Commission
  • Dr. Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director, Division of Country Health Polices and Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe

11:40 – 12:00 Break

12:00 – 13:00 Three parallel, moderated breakout sessions

    SESSION 1: What impact has COVID-19 had on health and gender equality?

    From more men dying from the virus to more women experiencing ‘long COVID’, this session will explore some of the gendered health patterns emerging from the pandemic. The session will also provide policymakers with ideas about how to make sure health policies are more gender-sensitive. 

    Presentation by

    • Blandine Mollard, Researcher, EIGE

    Speakers

    • Evelyn Regner, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
    • Janez Poklukar, Minister of Health, Slovenia
    • Isabel de la Mata, Principal Advisor for Health and Crisis Management, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
    • Isabel Yordi Aguirre, Program Manager, Gender and Rights, Office for Investment for Health and Development, WHO Regional Office for Europe 
    • Prof. Sarah Hawkes, Director, Centre for Gender and Global Health, University College London UK

    Moderator

    • Jack Parrock, Journalist and Conference Moderator

    SESSION 2: How did COVID-19 affect sexual and reproductive health?

    How did restrictions and longer waiting times for some sexual and reproductive health services impact women and girls? Did telemedicine help to make some sexual and reproductive health services more accessible? We will discuss how the pandemic affected this area of healthcare, and also take a look at what countries can do to improve long-term, for example by including consent in school sexuality education and involving men in family planning and contraceptive use.

    Presentation by

    • Maruša Gortnar, Head of Operations Unit, EIGE

    Speakers

    • Predrag Fred Matic, Member of the European Parliament
    • Petra Bayr, President, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
    • Caroline Hickson, Regional Director, International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network
    • Giovanna Lauro, PhD, Vice President of Programs and Research, Promundo

    Moderator

    • Rasa Tapiniene, Journalist

    SESSION 3: What is the situation of mental health in the EU?

    This session will look at the different mental health issues women and men are facing in the EU. Parents can burn out from work-life balance pressures, men are often reluctant to seek help because it’s seen as ‘unmanly’, and many young people are living with anxiety. We will speak about what policymakers can do to better support people with their mental health struggles in Europe.

    Presentation by

    • Jolanta Reingardė, Team Leader - Research and Statistics, EIGE

    Speakers

    • Salla Saastamoinen, Acting Director-General, Directorate Justice and Consumers, European Commission
    • Ledia Lazeri, Regional Adviser for Mental Health at WHO Regional Office for Europe
    • Claudia Marinetti, Director, Mental Health Europe
    • Elizabeth Gosme, Director COFACE Families Europe
    • Neil Kelders, Mental Health Speaker, Wellbeing Consultant

    Moderator

    • Alexandrina Satnoianu, Visual and social media coordinator, EIGE

    13:00 – 13:15 Closing

    • Carlien Scheele, Director, EIGE
    • Katalin Cseh, Member of the European Parliament

    13:15 – 14:15 “Ask the Expert” – interactive question and answer session with experts  

    You will have possibility to meet EIGE team, who developed EIGE Gender Equality Index 2021 and its thematic focus report on Health. During this interactive session you can raise questions related to the scores of Gender Equality Index 2021 and discuss EU MS progress towards full gender equality. Questions, related to EIGE's research on gender and health will also be addressed.

    • Jolanta Reingardė, Team Leader - Research and Statistics, EIGE
    • Blandine Mollard, Researcher, EIGE
    • Davide Barbieri, Statistics Officer, EIGE
    • Lina Salanauskaite, Researcher / Analyst, EIGE

    Facilitator

    • Veronica Collins, Acting Team Leader – Communications, EIGE

    Moderators

    Speakers

    Videos

    Gender Equality Index 2021: Opening, results, panel "How can we put gender equality at the core of Europe’s Covid-19 recovery?" and closing

    Gender Equality Index 2021: Three parallel, moderated breakout sessions

    SESSION 1: What impact has COVID-19 had on health and gender equality?

    SESSION 2: How did COVID-19 affect sexual and reproductive health?

    SESSION 3: What is the situation of mental health in the EU?