EIGE's publications
Although the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was established 25 years ago, many of the challenges identified in 1995 remain relevant today (such as the gender pay gap, unequal distribution of unpaid work or experiences of gender-based violence, to name just a few).
05 Kovas 2020
PovertyThe Europe 2020 strategy aims to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty and social exclusion. However, this target does not directly acknowledge the gender dimension of poverty and looks unlikely to be met; 23.3 % of women and 21.6 % of men in the EU remain at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
05 Kovas 2020
EducationSince 2013, the EU has made several commitments to address gender equality issues in education and training. The Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019 highlighted the need to address gendered choices in study subjects and subsequent careers.
05 Kovas 2020
HealthGender stereotypes and socioeconomic inequalities continue to impact on access use of preventative and curative health services. For example, while the EU has done work to increase the access of girls and women living outside the EU to sexual and reproductive health services, there has been limited action to promote access to such services within the EU.
05 Kovas 2020
ViolenceAll EU Member States have criminalised some forms of violence against womenand, together with the EU institutions, have worked to strengthen legal frameworks and better determine the scale of the phenomenon.
05 Kovas 2020
JusticeThe Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) underlined the importance of women’s participation in conflict resolution and the promotion of lasting peace. It also recognised that women have the right to protection, as they are at particular risk of being targeted by violence in conflict, such as conflict-related sexual violence and forced displacement.
05 Kovas 2020
Economic and financial affairs, EmploymentWomen’s economic empowerment has long been a feature of EU policy, but the shift in priorities in the aftermath of the economic crisis has left the employment policy largely gender blind. Thus the Europe 2020 strategy includes a target of having 75 % of the working age population in employment by 2020 but does not distinguish between women and men.
05 Kovas 2020
Recent years have seen considerable focus on the representation of women in political and economic decision-making by EU institutions. Both the European Parliament and the European Commission put in place actions to encourage politicians in the Member States to introduce measures to improve and accelerate gender balance in political and economic leadership positions.
05 Kovas 2020
Gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the EU. Since 1996, the EU Commission has committed itself to a dual approach, which involves ‘mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies, while also implementing specific measures to eliminate, prevent or remedy gender inequalities’ (1).
05 Kovas 2020
JusticeAll EU Member States have obligations to eliminate discrimination against women and ensure that they fully enjoy their human rights. The long-standing Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women is the basis for this. Since 2013, there have been several developments within EU policy that are relevant to the human rights of women.
05 Kovas 2020
The EU’s overarching gender equality commitments and measures have rarely addressed women and the media. The media were not mentioned as a priority in the European Commission’s strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019 or in the Council of the EU’s pact for equality between women and men 2011-2020.
05 Kovas 2020
Environment and climate changeThe climate change policy agenda in the EU is driven by the EU’s 2020 climate and energy package, which sets out broad targets to be achieved by 2020.
05 Kovas 2020