Brussels, 28/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 28 April, the European Parliament adopted a catch-all report on women and the Internet. The non-legislative resolution, which was drafted by Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA, Germany), focuses mainly on the professional challenges encountered by women in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector.
The MEPs' work is based on the observation that the digital revolution is of greater benefit to men than to women: currently, just 30% of all people working in the ICT sector are women. They are more likely to have less well-paid and less qualified jobs than their male counterparts. In this context, the MEPs call upon the Commission and the member states to “remedy the considerable underrepresentation of women in the ICT sector, particularly in the most senior positions and on boards of directors”, for instance by taking the directive on quotas of women off ice. They call upon the member states to establish “multi-annual action plans” and to make efforts to put an end to pay differences between men and women, “preferably by legislative means”.
One of the most interesting planks of this resolution concerns work organisation. MEPs welcome the “many opportunities and greater flexibility that the digital age offers employees and freelance workers”, but draw attention to the risk of seeing “unstable forms of employment” emerging. To this end, they call for a “right to disconnect” once the conventional work duration has been exceeded. Lastly, the MEPs call for greater emphasis to be laid on free and open software in the ICT sector and on the digital market. They consider that free access to broadband for all, at least in public areas, would allow women to derive greater benefit from digital outlets. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)