The European Parliament is marking the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality.For this year’s International Women’s Day on 8 March, The European Parliament is marking the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality.
The Beijing Declaration
In 1995, the UN’s 4th World Conference on women adopted a resolution regarding the empowerment and advancement of women around the world. It set out strategic objectives to achieve gender equality in 12 areas, including the economy, violence against women, women in power and women and the environment. As the vote took place in Beijing, this resolution is known as the Beijing Declaration.
Read more about the Parliament’s fight for gender equality
Events in Parliament
To mark the anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, Parliament’s women’s rights committee is organising an event on Thursday, 5 March. The focus will be on two issues: Beijing 25+: next steps towards Generation Equality, which will look at women in the economy, women’s entrepreneurship as well as the gender pay and pension gaps; as well as women leadership in the fight for climate justice.
Opening
Parliament President David Sassoli will open the event, which will be chaired by Evelyn Regner, chair of Parliament’s women’s rights committee.
Join the Parliamnet live
Follow the event online on 5 March, from 9.00 to 12.30 CET.
Got a question about Parliament’s work on gender equality? Ask Evelyn Regner, the chair of Parliament’s women’s rights committee, during a Facebook live on Tuesday 3 March. Watch live on our Facebook page and submit questions in the comments.
Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
A delegation from Parliament’s women’s rights committee will attend the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, at the United Nations in New York on 9-20 March, focusing on the progress of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration. Parliament has already adopted a resolution setting out its priorities for gender equality.
Gender pay gap in Europe: facts and figures
Women in the EU earn on average almost 15% less per hour than men. There are large differences between member states: the biggest gender pay gap was recorded in Estonia (23%), while the EU country with the lowest gender pay gap was Romania (3%).
A narrower gender pay gap does not necessarily mean more gender equality. It often occurs in countries with lower female employment. A high pay gap may indicate that women are more concentrated in low-paid sectors or that a significant proportion of them work part-time.
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