On Wednesday 2 June, the national representatives to the EU (Coreper) approved draft conclusions on the socioeconomic consequences of Covid-19 on gender equality.
Member States recognise that the pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities - due to “deep-rooted gender stereotypes” - which persist in the EU, particularly in the labour market.
Based on a report by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the draft conclusions point out, for example, that women make up between 76 and 95% of health workers, home and institutional care workers, educators, and domestic helpers: occupations that are more at risk of contracting the virus, difficult to reconcile with family life, time-consuming and, in general, precarious and underpaid.
Moreover, women are over-represented in economic sectors hit hard by the lockdowns and were more affected than men by the decrease in wage levels in the first half of 2020, the Member States say, adding that this “risks widening the already significant gender imbalance in pension income and quality of life after retirement”.
The draft conclusions therefore call on the EU-27 to promote and integrate gender equality in their recovery measures. This should be done across all sectors, “taking into account intersectionality and multiple discrimination”.
It also emphasises the need to “ actively tackle” the persistent barriers - mainly for women - to reconciling work, family and private life. In this regard, for example, it suggests that States should ensure that men are encouraged or enabled to become more involved in the home.
These conclusions will be submitted to the EU ministers for final approval on 15 June. To consult them: https://bit.ly/34GTHt9; and to consult the note: https://bit.ly/3yT9L8S (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)