On Tuesday 19 March, MEPs on the Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) welcomed the presentation of a study on gender mainstreaming. This work was described in detail by two of its authors, Flavia Pesce and Manuela Samek Lodovici, sociologist and economist respectively, who are researchers at the Social Research Institute in Milan (Italy).
Flavia Pesce emphasised the main aim of the study: to assess the implementation of policies and programmes aimed at promoting gender equality within the European Parliament. She emphasised that the study, carried out in two phases, had helped to identify the challenges and formulate recommendations for more effective mainstreaming of gender and the intersectional approach.
Manuela Samek Lodovici then presented the results of the analysis in detail. She pointed out that of the 103 acts adopted by the LIBE Committee, only 34 included a gender perspective, representing 30% of the total. It also highlighted the need for better integration of the intersectional approach in all policy areas.
The qualitative analysis carried out by the researchers revealed that, of the 34 acts that included a gender perspective, only 14 also took intersectionality into account. This finding raises the need for greater attention to be paid to intersectionality in all policies adopted by the European Parliament.
The specialists also highlighted the need to systematically collect data, demographic and statistical information, broken down according to the gender of the individuals concerned. This practice would provide a better understanding of gender disparities and inequalities in different areas of society, such as education, employment and health.
By following this approach, policy-makers can assess the impact of policies and programmes on men and women in a differentiated way. For example, in the field of employment, the collection of data by gender would make it possible to determine whether women benefit from the same employment opportunities and conditions as men, or whether inequalities persist. Similarly, in the field of health, this would make it possible to identify the specific needs of men and women in terms of health services and access to care.
The two experts also stressed the importance of adopting specific evaluation tools to measure the impact of measures taken to promote gender equality.
It was also recommended that greater participation by women as rapporteurs for legislative acts should be encouraged, and that collaboration with other bodies supporting gender mainstreaming should be promoted.
Read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/bez (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)