Empowering women in the EU and beyond: Education and reproductive health

Briefing 02-03-2017

In the EU, gender equality in education and several other policy areas is protected by law. In practice, however, full gender equality has still not been achieved. Beyond the EU, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has found that millions of girls are still being denied an education. Therefore, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is calling for all countries to repeal discriminatory laws that create barriers for women and girls not only in education, but also in access to healthcare, decent jobs and equal pay. The right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is not only an integral part of the general right to health but is also fundamentally linked to the enjoyment of many other human rights, according to UN experts.