How to ensure a truly inclusive green transition that takes account of gender inequalities within the EU? The report published on 18 October by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) endeavours to answer this question by setting out 12 good practices that integrate the gender dimension into the policies of the European Green Deal.
The study, which covered ten Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and Sweden), explores how women, who are often under-represented in key sectors such as energy, transport and agriculture, can become more involved and benefit from the opportunities created by the green transition.
Among its recommendations, the EIGE calls for gender-specific data. For example, initiatives such as the Biodiversity Foundation in Spain, with its 160 employees (112 women and 48 men), have integrated this data to better monitor the impact of ecological projects on gender. With an annual budget of almost €65 million by 2022, the Foundation has also included social clauses in its calls for tender, encouraging gender equality in all the projects it funds.
The report also calls for a fair distribution of the jobs created as part of the green transition. Among the good practices identified, some initiatives aim to promote gender equality in sectors largely dominated by men, such as rail and agriculture.
One of the initiatives, in Germany, called ‘Ökothek’, has made it possible to train more than 1,000 women between 2021 and 2024 and to organise 250 training sessions to improve their participation in the environment and climate sectors.
In addition, the EIGE urges Member States to adopt gender-sensitive public procurement policies and to include explicit equality objectives in public contracts. It also supports the implementation of environmental policies that include gender equality objectives and clear monitoring mechanisms.
The aim is also to increase the representation of women in decision-making bodies in key sectors of the green transition, which are often dominated by men.
To read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dyw (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)