Women in European politics – time for action

Gender equality in all areas of life is a fundamental right and value of the European Union, enshrined in policy since the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Yet more than fifty years on, there remains a persistent under-representation of women in politics across Europe. With the 2009 European elections looming it is time to raise awareness of this democratic deficit and take action to promote change.

The European Commission identified equality in decision-making as one of the priority areas for action in its 2006 Roadmap for equality between men and women1. With a year of opportunity at hand, this report aims to raise awareness of the extent of gender inequality in politics by analysing the current situation and investigating some of the reasons that the persistent deficit is proving so difficult to break down.

The report is split into two sections, the first – and main section – covers the gender balance in politics at all levels and examines the current situation of women as elected representatives, the extent to which they are selected as candidates for election, how this links to electoral success and some of the reasons behind the limited progress to date.

The second, short section presents a brief analysis of the situation in some other areas, including business and public administration.