Gender equality: No time to rest

Summary:

Under the Gender Equality Strategy, the European Commission set out several initiatives to achieve a gender-equal Europe where gender-based violence, sex discrimination, and structural inequality between men and women would cease to exist. However, almost three and a half years into this Commission, where do we stand?

While there have been some positive legislative initiatives, including the Pay Transparency Directive, and the Directive on Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, Europe is still a long way from being gender-equal. Persistent gender differences in wages, pensions, and the labour market, as well as continuing gender-based violence, means that gender equality remains an ambition rather than a reality.