BETA


2021/2020(INI) Equality between women and men in the European Union in 2018-2020
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date 2021/12/13

Progress: Awaiting Parliament's vote

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead FEMM PEREIRA Sandra (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL) MALDEIKIENĖ Aušra (icon: EPP EPP), FRITZON Heléne (icon: S&D S&D), MELCHIOR Karen (icon: Renew Renew), DELBOS-CORFIELD Gwendoline (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), TOVAGLIERI Isabella (icon: ID ID), HOOGEVEEN Michiel (icon: ECR ECR)
Committee Opinion EMPL
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2021/12/13
   Indicative plenary sitting date
2021/11/08
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report by Sandra PEREIRA (GUE/NGL, PT) on equality between women and men in the European Union in 2018-2020.

Women’s rights are human rights and thus universal and indivisible, as enshrined in the Treaty on European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The struggle for gender equality and the promotion and protection of women’s rights is a truly collective responsibility that requires faster progress and efforts by EU institutions and Member States.

The EU and its Member States must aim to combat inequalities and discrimination based on gender and sex, promote gender equality, and guarantee equal rights and treatment for women and men in all their diversity, as well as ensure that they have equal power and opportunities to shape society and their own lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected women’s lives and exacerbated existing gender inequalities in almost every respect.

A gender-equal economy

Members stressed that respect for the right to work, as well as equal pay and equal treatment, is an essential precondition for women’s equal rights, economic independence and career fulfilment. They called on the Commission and the Member States to promote policies that aim to eliminate precarious work and involuntary part-time work in order to improve the situation for women in the labour market. Member States should tackle inequalities between men and women through policies that enhance the value of work, wages, labour conditions, and the living conditions of all workers and their families.

Moreover, the report stressed the importance for Member States to impose firm measures, including sanctions, when businesses fail to comply with labour legislation against gender discrimination and gender bias. The Commission and the Council are called on to ensure that all budget appropriations under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework respect the principle of equality between men and women and promote gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in all EU policies.

The eradication of gender-based violence

The report underlined the need to combat the exploitation, inequalities, discrimination and violence affecting women, noting that harassment in the workplace leads to women being excluded from their chosen careers and sectors and constitutes a serious assault on their psychological and physical health. Members urged the EU and its Member States to devise ‘Me Too’ legislation to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

Members also noted that inequalities and economic and social pressures caused by COVID-19 lockdown measures, which entailed restrictions on movement and social isolation, led to an increase in violence against women with domestic violence increasing by as much as 30 % in some Member States during the first lockdown.

Stressing that sexual exploitation constitutes a serious form of violence affecting mostly women and children, Members highlighted the need for Member States to ensure adequate funding for social and psychological support and access to public services for victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation and specialised services dedicated to the social inclusion of vulnerable women and girls. Member States are urged to implement the Anti-Trafficking Directive in full and to desist from imprisoning or deporting potential victims as a matter of urgency.

Health, education, inclusion and poverty

The report noted that access to sexual, reproductive and other forms of healthcare for women is a fundamental right. Sexual and reproductive health and rights services are essential healthcare services that should be available to all, including migrant and refugee women. Member States are called on to tackle sexism and harmful gender stereotypes in their education systems and to combat gendered labour market segmentation in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Female participation in sporting activities should also be promoted.

Lastly, Members called for gender equality to be mainstreamed into all policymaking and to carry out gender impact assessments when setting up any new policy to help ensure a more coherent and evidence-based EU policy response to gender equality challenges.

Documents
2021/10/28
   EP - Vote in committee
2021/07/19
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/06/16
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/03/11
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/02/17
   EP - PEREIRA Sandra (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in FEMM

Documents

Activities

AmendmentsDossier
287 2021/2020(INI)
2021/07/19 FEMM 287 amendments...
source: 696.288

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

forecasts/0/title
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date
New
Debate in plenary scheduled
docs/2
date
2021-11-08T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0315_EN.html title: A9-0315/2021
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2/summary
  • The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report by Sandra PEREIRA (GUE/NGL, PT) on equality between women and men in the European Union in 2018-2020.
  • Women’s rights are human rights and thus universal and indivisible, as enshrined in the Treaty on European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The struggle for gender equality and the promotion and protection of women’s rights is a truly collective responsibility that requires faster progress and efforts by EU institutions and Member States.
  • The EU and its Member States must aim to combat inequalities and discrimination based on gender and sex, promote gender equality, and guarantee equal rights and treatment for women and men in all their diversity, as well as ensure that they have equal power and opportunities to shape society and their own lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected women’s lives and exacerbated existing gender inequalities in almost every respect.
  • A gender-equal economy
  • Members stressed that respect for the right to work, as well as equal pay and equal treatment, is an essential precondition for women’s equal rights, economic independence and career fulfilment. They called on the Commission and the Member States to promote policies that aim to eliminate precarious work and involuntary part-time work in order to improve the situation for women in the labour market. Member States should tackle inequalities between men and women through policies that enhance the value of work, wages, labour conditions, and the living conditions of all workers and their families.
  • Moreover, the report stressed the importance for Member States to impose firm measures, including sanctions, when businesses fail to comply with labour legislation against gender discrimination and gender bias. The Commission and the Council are called on to ensure that all budget appropriations under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework respect the principle of equality between men and women and promote gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in all EU policies.
  • The eradication of gender-based violence
  • The report underlined the need to combat the exploitation, inequalities, discrimination and violence affecting women, noting that harassment in the workplace leads to women being excluded from their chosen careers and sectors and constitutes a serious assault on their psychological and physical health. Members urged the EU and its Member States to devise ‘Me Too’ legislation to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
  • Members also noted that inequalities and economic and social pressures caused by COVID-19 lockdown measures, which entailed restrictions on movement and social isolation, led to an increase in violence against women with domestic violence increasing by as much as 30 % in some Member States during the first lockdown.
  • Stressing that sexual exploitation constitutes a serious form of violence affecting mostly women and children, Members highlighted the need for Member States to ensure adequate funding for social and psychological support and access to public services for victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation and specialised services dedicated to the social inclusion of vulnerable women and girls. Member States are urged to implement the Anti-Trafficking Directive in full and to desist from imprisoning or deporting potential victims as a matter of urgency.
  • Health, education, inclusion and poverty
  • The report noted that access to sexual, reproductive and other forms of healthcare for women is a fundamental right. Sexual and reproductive health and rights services are essential healthcare services that should be available to all, including migrant and refugee women. Member States are called on to tackle sexism and harmful gender stereotypes in their education systems and to combat gendered labour market segmentation in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Female participation in sporting activities should also be promoted.
  • Lastly, Members called for gender equality to be mainstreamed into all policymaking and to carry out gender impact assessments when setting up any new policy to help ensure a more coherent and evidence-based EU policy response to gender equality challenges.
forecasts/0/date
Old
2021-11-22T00:00:00
New
2021-12-13T00:00:00
docs/2
date
2021-11-08T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0315_EN.html title: A9-0315/2021
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0315_EN.html title: A9-0315/2021
events/2
date
2021-11-08T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Awaiting Parliament's vote
events/1
date
2021-10-28T00:00:00
type
Vote in committee
body
EP
procedure/Other legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 159
forecasts/0/date
Old
2021-11-10T00:00:00
New
2021-11-22T00:00:00
docs/1/docs/0/url
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/FEMM-AM-696288_EN.html
docs/1
date
2021-07-19T00:00:00
docs
title: PE696.288
type
Amendments tabled in committee
body
EP
forecasts
  • date: 2021-11-10T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
docs/0/docs/0/url
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/FEMM-PR-693864_EN.html
docs
  • date: 2021-06-16T00:00:00 docs: title: PE693.864 type: Committee draft report body: EP
committees/0/shadows/1
name
FRITZON Heléne
group
Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
abbr
S&D
commission
  • body: EC dg: Justice and Consumers commissioner: DALLI Helena
events/0/body
EP
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
associated
False
rapporteur
name: PEREIRA Sandra date: 2021-02-17T00:00:00 group: The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL abbr: GUE/NGL
shadows
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
associated
False
rapporteur
name: PEREIRA Sandra date: 2021-02-17T00:00:00 group: The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL abbr: GUE/NGL
shadows
events/0
date
2021-03-11T00:00:00
type
Committee referral announced in Parliament
events/0
date
2021-03-11T00:00:00
type
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
committees/1/opinion
False
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
associated
False
rapporteur
name: PEREIRA Sandra date: 2021-02-17T00:00:00 group: The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL abbr: GUE/NGL
shadows
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
associated
False
rapporteur
name: PEREIRA Sandra date: 2021-02-17T00:00:00 group: GUE/NGL abbr: Confederal Group of the European United Left
shadows
events
  • date: 2021-03-11T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
  • FEMM/9/01547
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Preparatory phase in Parliament
New
Awaiting committee decision