“On 8 March next, we will be celebrating International Women's Day: this is the ideal time to recognise that the fight for gender equality is a daily fight and we must strive to see clearly what we need to change”, said the Portuguese Minister of State for the Presidency at the opening session of the webinar entitled “Gender Equality as a Driver for Recovery”, organised under the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
During the session, the results of research carried out by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) for the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union on the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on gender equality were presented. “The impacts of this crisis will not be gender neutral; they will affect men and women differently”, Mariana Vieira da Silva emphasised.
But, apart from the figures, this research also helps us to understand the challenges and bring them to light: “Behind the figures lies the harsh reality that women have been facing during the pandemic. Women who are on the frontline but who are still being left behind”, the Portuguese Minister said.
COVID-19 has added to existing inequalities. Teleworking, for example, has brought new challenges to reconciling personal and professional life. As this concern is common to all the member states, the policies need to respond not only to cyclical inequalities, but also to structural factors. “Our actions must strengthen the principles aimed at making Europe more inclusive and more equal”, said Vieira da Silva.
One day after the adoption of the Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Minister of State for the Presidency also pointed to the proposal for implementing salary transparency measures: “Implementing the principle of equal pay for equal work is vital for reducing the disparities in salaries and pensions and for protecting working women.”
The Minister concluded that it is fundamental for the European Union and the Member States to look at gender equality as “an engine for recovery” and praised the European Commission for introducing and integrating the gender perspective into the Recovery and Resilience Plans.
In her speech, the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, reviewed the first year of the European Strategy of the European Commission for Gender Equality and said we must look at the current crisis as an opportunity to redouble the efforts aimed at gender equality and women's rights, so that we do not take a step backwards and we can implement the European Strategy for Gender Equality by 2025.
