On Tuesday 24 October, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published its Gender Equality Index for 2023. After 10 years of lamenting progress “at a snail’s pace” (see EUROPE 13049/14), the index recorded its biggest annual increase ever.
This brings the EU score to 70.2 points. However, EIGE urges caution. “The EU has made progress towards equality. But [...] progress is fragile. Today, only Sweden, with a score above 80 points, is close to gender equality. [Yet] Sweden represents only 2% of the EU’s population”, said its director, Carlien Scheele.
Good pupils
The report notes that, while Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark remain the ‘best pupils’, their performance compared to last year has stagnated or fallen significantly. “The gains cannot be taken for granted”, stresses EIGE.
On the contrary, countries such as Italy, Luxembourg and Malta, which have scores below the European average, have seen “vast improvements” in equality over the last 10 years. “So when countries put measures in place, the pace of progress picks up”, sums up the Institute.
Inequalities in employment
Generally speaking, EIGE observes that, although equality in employment has increased significantly, the labour market remains segregated. Women tend to work in sectors with low pay and fewer career prospects. In particular, the report points out, the jobs created by the green transition and with great growth potential are mostly held by men.
At the same time, the Institute notes persistent inequality in terms of “unpaid care work”. However, the report points out that these tasks are increasingly being “externalised” as women’s employment rates rise.
Furthermore, EIGE notes that with the increase in the number of women on boards of directors and the decrease in their presence in parliaments, these two rates have converged at 33%. Praising the effectiveness of quotas, the Institute calls for targeted measures to be introduced in the political sphere, particularly with a view to the European elections.
Green Deal
Finally, the 2023 index pays particular attention to the green transition. It notes, for example, that despite the ambitions of the ‘Green Deal’ in terms of equality, gender mainstreaming could be strengthened.
The Institute also notes that although women are “at the forefront of climate activism”, they are poorly represented in decision-making. By the end of 2022, only 32% of EU ministers responsible for the environment and climate were women. While women accounted for 43% of energy ministers, only 29% sat on national parliamentary committees dealing with the subject.
EIGE is also interested in the impact of the climate crisis on women’s daily lives, believing, for example, that the need to save energy could increase the mental burden of running the household.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/97z (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)