The freshly launched Gender Equality Index 2022 reveals that progress continues at a snails' pace, with a mere 0.6-point increase since last year's edition. The scores present strong warning signs amid continued uncertainty and turmoil.
Each year the EU spends 14% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on public works, from building projects to social infrastructure. Smart targeting of that €2 trillion in public funds and considering how it impacts the lives of both women and men is the essence of Gender-responsive public procurement, or GRPP.
The Gender Equality Index is a tool to measure the progress of gender equality in the EU, developed by EIGE. It gives more visibility to areas that need improvement and ultimately supports policy makers to design more effective gender equality measures. The Gender Equality Index has tracked the painfully slow progress of gender equality in the EU since 2010, mostly due to advances in decision-making.
Today, one-in-three people across the EU are unpaid informal carers for family members or friends in need due to health problems and/or disability, according to EIGE’s upcoming Gender Equality Index report.
We need to move forward faster Progressive new policies are helping improve gender equality for the people of Spain. But the country’s leading voice on women’s rights admits, “we need to move forward faster.” Now we all share concerns over economic hardships leading to increased risks of poverty and job insecurity. Still, today in Spain women also assume most of the domestic work and 70% of all care tasks.
Achieving equality between women and men makes everyone better off. We have come a long way, but there’s still more to do. Let’s shape an economy where gender equality, social fairness and prosperity go hand in hand. #3StepsForward is how policymakers, business leaders and individuals can unite to build a fairer future. We all have a role to play. Join our #3StepsForward campaign and do your part!
Although we have made progress, inequality remains widespread. And it comes at a price. Director Carlien Scheele identified the high price we face if we do not achieve gender equality by presenting EIGE’s research on how we can overcome these remaining challenges at ETUI-ETUC’s conference: “A Blueprint for Equality”, held in Brussels on 24 June 2022. If we work together, we can overcome inequality.
Public institutions in the EU are major investors, spending some €2 trillion per year on the purchase of goods, services and works. Their procurement practices can directly promote gender equality, support sustainable procurement and improve efficiency in public spending. This is what gender-responsive public procurement (GRPP) is. Yet policymakers are unfamiliar with this promising approach, and authorities in the EU rarely implement it.
Improving gender equality is one of the key ways to improve a country’s economy. This message resonated during the recent meetings between the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and Irene Montero, Spain’s Minister for Equality.
The European Institute for Gender Equality carried out the project ‘Supporting gender equality in the economy through public procurement’ with the overall aim of contributing to a more gender-equal distribution of economic resources in the EU. This report presents the main research findings of this project, followed by a selection of case studies and policy recommendations. The research findings suggest that there are low rates of implementation of gender-responsive public procurement (GRPP) in most EU countries.
