Gender equality: EU action triggers steady progress

EU News 170/2014

Brussels, 14 April 2014
IP/14/423

In 2013 the European Commission continued taking action to improve equality between women and men, including steps to close the gender gaps in employment, pay and pensions discrepancies, to combat violence and to promote equality in decision-making. Efforts are paying off: concrete progress has been made in the area of addressing the gender pay gap – notably through an initiative by the Commission to improve pay transparency (IP/14/222) – or increasing the number of women on company boards (see Annex). These are the main findings of the Commission's annual gender equality report published today along with the annual report on fundamental rights (see IP/14/422). But challenges remain: under current rates of progress, it will take almost 30 years to reach the EU’s target of 75% of women in employment, 70 years to make equal pay a reality and 20 years to achieve parity in national parliaments (at least 40% of each gender).

Source and additional information:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-423_en.htm?locale=en

Viviane Reding, in front of a depiction of Themis, goddess of divine justice Date: 14/04/2014 Reference: P-025497/00-01 Location: Brussels - EC/Berlaymont (C) EU, 2014 URL

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