Brussels, 03/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - At its meeting in Brussels on Thursday 3 March held at the initiative of the women's rights committee, the interparliamentary committee noted that over the 100 years that the fight for gender equality has lasted so far, progress has been made regarding the situation of women in politics and also with regard to gender equality more generally. Nonetheless, inequality persists in all EU member states, as it does in the world as a whole. According to the committee's former chairperson, Nicole Fontaine, the European Parliament has always been at the fore in the battle for equality between men and women and in the fight against discrimination. Figures in hand, she cited the percentages of women to men in top posts as being 16% in 1979, 26% in 1994 and 35.2% today. The same is true in the distribution of responsibility where key posts are concerned. However, Nicole Fontaine warned, an effort is being made at the level of the political groups' offices, where there are still fewer women than men.
MEPs can no longer accept discrimination and violence against women “simply because they are women”. They demand that women be able to take part in political decision-making on an equal footing with men and they are convinced that an equal society will be a better society for men, women and children, said Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL, Sweden), who chairs the women's rights committee.
The former president of Ireland and former United Nations human rights commissioner, Mary Robinson, noted that, in most national parliaments, fewer than 20% of the parliamentarians are women. This shows that there is still a long way to go in many areas: - in key posts, in ministerial cabinets, and in the private sector where only 3% of women are CEOs, she commented. (G.B./transl.jl)