Resolution n°1
People first: A Progressive European Agenda
Adopted by the 8th PES Congress
5. To pursue gender equality
Our vision of progressive societies is contingent on gender equality. Gender inequalities continue to have deeply negative consequences for the economy, social justice and democracy.
Women still earn, on average, 17.4% less than men for doing the same work; they are much more likely to be unemployed, discouraged from entering the labour market by the lack of decent jobs, or in lower-paid, low-quality or part-time jobs. The financial and economic crisis has highlighted the very low number of women in top decision-making positions in the banking sector and in listed companies. Overall, the result is that women have not been able to contribute fully to generating new prosperity and providing sound stewardship in the economy.
The extent to which gender equality has been achieved varies across Europe. Those European countries which have done most to increase women’s rights and opportunities are amongst the leading sustainable societies in Europe with the highest proportion of women in the workforce and the highest birth rates.
We believe gender should be mainstreamed throughout all EU policies and instruments, including national and European economic recovery plans. It is urgent for the EU to adopt a European Women’s Rights Charter to improve women’s rights and opportunities and promote mechanisms to achieve gender equality in all aspects of social, economic and political life. Moreover, this Charter must be carried by a visible, effective, target-driven platform with a sufficient budget to ensure that its content is implemented and respected in all Member States.
Improving paid and shared parental leave rights and pre-school child care and education would benefit labour market participation and economic performance, reduce poverty – thereby alleviating welfare burdens - as well as improve the life chances of children. We must reach the EU Barcelona child care targets. The use of quotas in politics and the private sector should be explored in order to overcome latent discrimination and entrench gender equality.
We will continue to campaign for equal political representation of women and men in all decision-making bodies at European level. In this respect, we are proud that the first EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty; is Catherine Ashton, a woman from our political family.
We welcome the forthcoming Spanish EU Presidency’s placing of women’s rights at the top of the European agenda. We will promote women’s sexual and reproductive health rights throughout the EU. We propose to step up European efforts to eradicate human trafficking and sexual exploitation through closer judicial and police cooperation. We also propose to encourage and support the EU and its Member States in their efforts to stop domestic and gender-specific violence, including that perpetrated against women of ethnic minorities, through all appropriate EU programmes and funds.
We are convinced that pursuing gender equality will bring far-reaching benefits for European.
Prague, 8 December 2009
1 comentário:
Very well!
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