Friday, 9 May 2025
No Result
View All Result
eudebates.tv
  • EU Policies
  • World
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls
eudebates.tv
No Result
View All Result

Women in Europe need ‘greater economic independence’ to avoid poverty

EUdebates Team by EUdebates Team
08/03/2021
in Employment and Social affairs
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0
Women in Europe
129
SHARES
1.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Join EU debates

Fair Minimum Wages for All – EESC Workers’ Group Webinar

European Pillar of Social Rights: Gothenburg, Porto and beyond

Why are Finns the happiest people in the world again?

Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention, A ‘worrying step backwards’

Women in Europe should be given “greater economic independence” through equal pay, childcare support and the sharing of domestic duties to ensure that they do not fall into poverty, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

Olivier De Shutter recently conducted a two-month mission to the European Union, where women are more likely to fall into poverty than men, a situation that has further deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. UN News spoke to Mr. De Shutter ahead of International Women’s Day marked annually on 8 March.

Why are women more likely to be affected by poverty than men in the EU? 

Women are disproportionately more at risk of poverty compared to men (22.3 per cent compared to 20.4 per cent in the EU). What is perhaps even more striking is that for older women in Europe, particularly having reached pension age, the gaps are significantly higher (averaging 37.2% across the EU). There is still a division of roles between women and men within households that makes it more difficult for women to seek long-term, full-time employment.

Women’s careers are often interrupted to take care of children, and many more women work on a part-time basis, so the level of pensions they receive is much lower. The majority of lone-parent households are also headed by women, and no less than 40 per cent of these families are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. That is a huge percentage. Social protection systems have not been truly responsive to changing family patterns and women in Europe are disproportionately affected by this situation.

What has been the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women in Europe? 

Unfortunately, I am afraid the pandemic shall mean a significant step backwards in terms of gender equality. The crisis will probably lead to many more women than men having to renounce full-time jobs. Moreover, the closure of schools has increased the burden on women in Europe, who take care of children more than men.

However, there has also been a growing awareness that the essential functions they fulfil in the healthcare sector and care-economy are under-estimated. My hope is that these essential workers, the majority of whom are women in Europe, shall be better paid and have improved employment contracts in the future. 

laboratory

What should be done to combat poverty for everyone? 

The COVID-19 crisis, for all the human suffering it inflicts, is an opportunity to reopen the debate as to which kind of society we want. 

We need to build a society that has an inclusive economy that gives each individual a fair chance to make a decent living. That means fighting discrimination against people in poverty, creating more job opportunities for people with low levels of qualifications, and investing in people’s education and life-long training to ensure all people have a chance to compete. It goes far beyond the usual idea that we need just to create wealth and redistribute it afterwards.

Can you share any testimonies of the women in Europe you spoke to as part of your mission? 

Behind the figures are real people who have most extraordinary things to say. I met a woman who was receiving food parcels but had no kitchen to cook the food she received. I met women in Europe who discovered there was not enough space in shelters they sought to join because they were fleeing domestic violence. The shelters had been overcrowded since the crisis because of the heightened rates of domestic violence.

What needs to be done to improve the situation for women in the EU? 

Ultimately, it requires a new distribution of roles within the household, and without that change occurring it will be very difficult to overcome the existing gaps. EU Member States should also invest more in early childhood education and care to allow women to take up full-time jobs. This would give greater economic independence, allowing them to make their own choices in life. 

What is Pay Transparency and why it matters?

Wind power woman girl

There should also be greater transparency in the wage policies of companies to ensure the principal of equal pay for work of equal value is complied with. We must overcome the 14% gender pay gap without further delay. 

What drives you do to the work you do? 

I have had a privileged existence and feel indebted as a result, and therefore believe it is the most natural thing to do to give a voice to those who have been silenced until now. People in poverty have been treated as a problem to be taken care of but not as actors who have experiences that we can learn from.  

I see my role as giving a voice to these people and as a result to have policies that are much better informed by their lived experiences. I think it is the best way to improve our ability to combat poverty and reduce inequalities.

Gender equality: Women in Europe hold the top Global Finance positions

Christine Lagarde, Ursula von der Leyen and Sanna Marin

Gender Equality and the UN

  • The UN says gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
  • One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 5 on gender equality aims to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
  • The importance of protecting women’s rights has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic with a global increase in reported domestic and gender-based violence.

EU debates Women in Europe

Share this debate with your friends!
Follow #eudebates on Google News and on Facebook
Tags: DiscriminationEconomic GovernanceEconomic Governance EuropeEmploymentEmployment in the EUemployment numbersEqualityFEMM - Women's Rights and Gender EqualityGender EqualityInequalityPovertySalaryUnemploymentWage InequalityWomenyouth unemployment
Share52Tweet32

Related EU debates

It's time for fair and adequate #EUMinimumWages
Employment and Social affairs

Fair Minimum Wages for All – EESC Workers’ Group Webinar

13/05/2021
Ursula von der Leyen in Porto Social Summit
Employment and Social affairs

European Pillar of Social Rights: Gothenburg, Porto and beyond

07/05/2021
lake in Finland
Employment and Social affairs

Why are Finns the happiest people in the world again?

02/04/2021
people kids families women
Employment and Social affairs

Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention, A ‘worrying step backwards’

29/03/2021
The Lipa camp for migrants, close to the town of Bihać, and near the border of Croatia
Employment and Social affairs

EU fights Anti-Roma prejudice and discrimination

14/03/2021
woman sunset
Employment and Social affairs

Important social gains for women lost due to COVID-19

08/03/2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SOTEU 2022 - State of the Union speech

Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU

14/09/2022
Volunteers preparing food for Ukrainian refugees arriving at Berlin Central Station

EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine

08/03/2022
pump jack oil diesel

REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel

08/03/2022
Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission

EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine

26/02/2022
Finnish PM Sanna Marin

Finland: NATO membership ‘will change’ after Russian invasion

24/02/2022
NATO - EU joint Press Conference

EU responds to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with massive sanctions

24/02/2022
  • Social Media Facebook twitter

    DeleteFacebook? What is the best Facebook european alternative?

    268 shares
    Share 107 Tweet 67
  • Travelling in Europe with COVID19 country colour travel code zones

    238 shares
    Share 95 Tweet 60
  • Why don’t Mediterranean boat migrants take the plane? Why don’t refugees fly?

    222 shares
    Share 89 Tweet 56
  • EU nasty and vindictive? Nigel Farage criticizes EU vaccines strategy

    202 shares
    Share 81 Tweet 51
  • Burkini Debate: To Ban or Not to Ban the Burkini, Burka and Niqab in EUROPE?

    193 shares
    Share 77 Tweet 48

Join eudebates newsletter!

Enter your email to receive our newsletter.

Don't worry, we don't spam
eudebates_logo

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU
  • EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine
  • REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel
  • EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine
  • Finland: NATO membership ‘will change’ after Russian invasion

Newsletter

Join eudebates newsletter!

Enter your email to receive our newsletter.

Don't worry, we don't spam
SOTEU 2022 - State of the Union speech

Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU

14/09/2022
Volunteers preparing food for Ukrainian refugees arriving at Berlin Central Station

EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine

08/03/2022
pump jack oil diesel

REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel

08/03/2022
  • Home
  • EU Policies
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls
  • Video

© 2022 eudebates - EU debates, dialogue, communication for a better Europe - Privacy Policy.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • EU Policies
  • World
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls

© 2022 eudebates - EU debates, dialogue, communication for a better Europe - Privacy Policy.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.