Public expectations and EU policies – Equal treatment of men and women

A series of Briefings from the European Parliamentary Research Service which looks at EU actions in a series of policy areas. This follows up a public opinion survey organised by Eurobarometer for the European Parliament in April 2016 which asked the question: Would you like the EU to intervene less than at present or more than at present for the following policy areas?

Terrorism / Unemployment / Tax fraud / Migration / Borders / Democracy / Environment / Security and defence / Health / Gender equality / Energy / Economy / Foreign policy / Agriculture / Industrial policyPublic opinion surveys suggest that the majority of Europeans are aware of EU action, and consider that equal treatment of women and men should be an EU priority, with majority support for existing or higher levels of EU involvement. In areas where the public feel that EU intervention is most effective – notably ensuring equal pay, facilitating work-life balance and combating violence against women – there is scope for further action at national and EU level, ranging from ‘soft’ measures such as awareness-raising campaigns to better implementation and enforcement of existing equal treatment legislation, and the potential introduction of new legislative proposals.

A number of initiatives are already on the table, but stakeholders have also expressed concerns about diminishing commitment to gender equality policy at EU level.

Authors: Rosamund Shreeves, Gianluca Sgueo, Alina Dobreva.