Search

Since the Taliban regime overtook the country in mid-August 2021, Afghanistan's record on women's rights has been manifestly one of, if not the worst, worldwide. Despite promises to 'uphold women's rights in line with Sharia law', from the very first weeks of its rule, the Taliban started suppressing the rights of their citizens, with women the main target of restrictions. As well as prohibiting women and girls from traveling without a male relative, the Taliban have also denied them post-primary ...

The highlight of the March II plenary session was the debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 March 2023. In a formal ceremony held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, the Presidents of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, each underlined the significance of the 1998 Agreement and the importance of ensuring reconciliation between the two communities ...

Equal pay for equal work is one of the European Union's founding principles. However, the implementation and enforcement of this principle remain a challenge. On 4 March 2021, the European Commission proposed a directive to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work between men and women, through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. Parliament's negotiators reached an agreement with the Council on the proposal on 15 December 2022, and that text is now due to be ...

Violence directed against a woman because she is a woman, or that affects women disproportionately ('gender-based violence against women') is a violation of fundamental rights, and a major obstacle to gender equality in all EU Member States. Despite increased attention, national legislation does not offer equal protection for women against all forms of gender-based violence across the EU, and there are significant gaps in the measures adopted at EU level. On 8 March 2022, the European Commission ...

Ongoing global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, climate change and war are spotlighting perennial obstacles to gender equality, as well as the importance and potential of gender-sensitive policies. As part of their commitment to human rights, sustainable development and democracy, the European Parliament and the US Congress have committed to advance women's rights and gender equality in their internal and external policy-making in an array of sectors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened existing inequalities between women and men. Data reveal significant gaps among EU regions in terms of access to the labour market, pay and working conditions, and leadership in decision-making. The European Parliament sees cohesion policy as key to achieving gender equality, but calls to go beyond the policy domains of the European Social Fund.

One hundred years after women won the vote or were first elected to parliament in some EU countries, the data show that women continue to be under-represented in politics and public life, in the European Parliament, but also in national parliaments, governments and local assemblies. The arguments for gender balance in politics are numerous. It benefits not only women and female politicians, but also political parties themselves and the rest of society. After all, women form half the population and ...

International Women's Day on 8 March provides an opportunity both to celebrate women's achievements and to take stock of progress towards gender equality. The gender gap in the digital sector, in areas ranging from education to salaries, persists. Women's increased participation in the sector could help solve the shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals needed for the EU's digital sector to grow. It could also yield economic benefits in terms of gross domestic product ...

This briefing, written by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the European Parliament's Committee on Women’s rights and Gender Equality, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (IWD), which this year elaborates on “the gender aspects of energy poverty”. It points out the initiatives of the three European institutions - the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council - in this regard.

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the FEMM Committee, outlines and assesses the impacts of social media on women and girls, on gender equality, and on democracy and civic participation more generally. It further analyses whether social media are creating a bias in their treatment of women and men, and provides recommendations to policy makers.