In the run-up to International Women’s Day, the European Commission organised an event in Brussels on Wednesday 6 March devoted to the place of women in public life and the ongoing fight for gender equality, particularly in the context of the forthcoming European elections.
The event was launched by remote speeches from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Despite progress, challenges persist. Ms von der Leyen stressed the importance of gender equality, not only as an ideal, but also as a prerequisite for fairer and more prosperous societies. She reiterated the Commission’s commitment to promoting equality, pointing out that half of its Commissioners are women, and highlighting efforts to promote equal pay and support for childcare.
Ms Metsola, for her part, focused on the persistent challenges facing women, particularly in the fields of politics, business, academia and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), calling for action against prejudice and for greater legal protection.
She praised the progress made by the European Parliament, referring to the recent directive on violence against women (see EUROPE 13351/23) and the directive for more women on the boards of listed companies (see EUROPE 13068/15).
The Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, also took the floor to call for practical solutions and mutual support for the challenges faced by women in public life. She spoke of the increasing representation of women in politics and business across the EU, while warning of worrying trends of withdrawal due to aggression and discrimination.
The testimonies of two MEPs, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová (Renew Europe, Slovak) and Assita Kanko (ECR, Belgian, revealed the extent of the harassment and discrimination faced by women, particularly via social networks. These stories served as a reminder of the need for concrete action to protect and support women in the public sphere.
The evidence of overwhelming male domination. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President of the Women Political Leaders network, also drew an alarming picture of the current state of female representation in politics worldwide.
The former vice-president of the European Parliament and MEP revealed that a third of women leave politics during their first term of office, highlighting the considerable obstacles they face, which cause them to abandon their political careers prematurely.
Ms Koch-Mehrin also pointed to the overwhelming male dominance in the spheres of power, with over 90% of the roles of president and prime minister held by men, and around 75% of parliamentary seats worldwide held by men.
Finally, she returned to the devastating impact of social networks, referring to data on women politicians in Germany facing a constant stream of hate messages, with an average of 30 messages per hour, or one message every 2 minutes. Eye-opening statistics which highlight the systemic challenges facing women, underlining the urgent need to implement concrete measures to support women in politics and promote genuine gender equality in the public sphere. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)