The European Union is progressing too slowly towards gender equality. Although the index prepared annually by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE in its acronym in English) notes a slight improvement of 0.6 points, up to 68.6 points out of 100, the truth is that in the last decade progress has been quite limited. Furthermore, for the first time since the creation of this scale 12 years ago, setbacks in key areas such as work or knowledge and, if it were not for the presence of women in decision-making and in instances of power, the result would be negative due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. “This requires a urgent analysis. We cannot afford to lose sight of gender equality,” warns the director of EIGE, Carlien Scheele.
The conclusion of latest annual reportprepared with data from 2020, finds that the pandemic covid-19 has negatively affected the “fragile progress” achieved since 2010. For example, for the first time since 2010, gender inequalities have increased in employment (full-time equivalent employment rate and length of working life), education (tertiary graduation and participation in education and training formal or informal), health status and access to health services. At the same time, gender differences in the risk of poverty and the distribution of income between women and men have remained constant.
“The decline in the labor participation rate indicates that women are increasingly likely to spend fewer years in employment, which in turn hampers their career prospects and acquiring pension rights,” explains the report. The authors of the same also warn that since the scores are based on data from two years ago, the worsening of gender inequalities could be even “more significant” next year due to covid. “We are in the middle of a geopolitical turmoil and of multiple crises that test achievements in terms of gender equality. We must protect what has been achieved in terms of gender equality and turn this situation into an opportunity,” says the equality commissioner, Helena Dalli.
Intra-European differences
The report shows, however, the enormous differences between north and south, east and west. Countries with a narrower gender gap continue to be Sweden (83.9), Denmark (77.8), Netherlands (77.3), Finland (75.4), France (75.1) and Spain (74.6) while Greece (53.4), Romania (53.7) and Hungary (54.2) continue to be the two with the worst results. In total, eleven Member States register levels above the European average, nine with more than 70 points while seven register less than 60 points.
The scope of Health it is where greater gender equality is verified with 88.7 points out of 100 and, therefore, where there is less gap. The analysis points to a slight improvement in the last year, although inequalities in access to health services have also increased during the pandemic, which has led to unprecedented pressure and highlighted the fragility of the sector. For example, more women than men are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and symptoms of burnout among healthcare workers, the report says.
Another area where the gender gap is less pronounced is economics, with an index of 82.6 out of 100, although the situation is not ideal either and setbacks are feared once the consequences of the pandemic are fully known, particularly among women with a low level of education who have been more affected by a reduction in working hours, absences or unpaid leave. “Women over 65 tend to earn 48% less than men of the same age, which is the result of the cumulative impact of gender inequalities throughout working life” and “women with higher education also they are behind their peers in terms of income” which corroborates “that the level of education does not produce the same dividends for women as for men”, the analysis points out.
stagnation at work
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The health crisis unleashed by the coronavirus has also led to a stagnation in progress in the field of work – with an index of 71.7 out of 100 – due to the fact that the sectors most affected by the closures, such as services and jobs with high levels of social interaction, is where mainly women work. At the same time, however, a higher proportion of women than men in essential sectors (such as education or health) could have helped keep many women in their jobs during the pandemic. The field of power and decision-making, however, is where the gender gap has been reduced the most, although women continue to be underrepresented and the index still stands at 57.2 out of 100.
According to the report, women represent 33% of the members of the national parliament and just over a third of the members of the regional and local/municipal assemblies (35% and 34% respectively). In addition, the proportion of women on the boards of directors of the largest listed European companies reached an all-time high of 32% in April 2022. Still, the report emphasizes that the covid emergency decisions were taken mostly by men. For example, as of March 2022, only 1 in 4 EU health ministers and fewer than 4 in 10 deputy ministers were women, and as of April 2022, 44% of members of EU scientific advisory committees they were women.