Resolution of the Council and of the Ministers for Employment and Social Policy, meeting within the Council of 29 June 2000 on the balanced participation of women and men in family and working life
Date: 2000-06-29
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: employment policy, family, gender equality, social policy

31.7.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE MINISTERS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL
POLICY, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL

on the balanced participation of women and men in family and working life

of 29 June 2000

(2000/C 218/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE MINISTERS
FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL POLICY, MEETING WITHIN THE
COUNCIL,

to be taken into account in the field of the reconciliation
of family and working life.

The Treaty of Amsterdam lays down that the Community
shall have as its task the promotion of equality between
end creates new
men and women,
and to this
in
in particular
possibilities
Articles 2, 3, 137 and 141 of the Treaty establishing the
European Community.

for Community action,

to offset

The principle of equality between men and women
makes it essential
the disadvantage faced by
women with regard to conditions for access to and
participation in the labour market and the disadvantage
faced by men with regard to participating in family life,
arising from social practices which still presuppose that
women are chiefly responsible for unpaid work related to
looking after a family and men chiefly responsible for
paid work derived from an economic activity.

(7)

(8)

Council Decision 2000/228/EC of 13 March 2000 on
Guidelines for Member States’ employment policies for
the year 2000 (1) provides for strengthening policies for
for men and women, paying
equal opportunities
particular attention to the need to introduce measures for
reconciling working and family life. This Decision
the importance for men and women of
underlines
policies on career breaks, parental
leave and part-time
work, as well as flexible working arrangements which
serve the interests of both employers and employees,
while maintaining
between
the necessary
flexibility and safety.

balance

The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000
furthering all aspects of
recognised the importance of
including reducing occupational
equal opportunities,
segregation, and making it easier to reconcile working
life and family life, and considered that one of the overall
aims of active employment policies should be to increase
the number of women in employment
to more than
60 % by 2010.

The principle of equality between men and women in
relation to employment and labour implies equal sharing
between working fathers and mothers,
in particular of
time off work to look after children or other dependants.

(9)

international

instruments and
There is a range of
agreements relating to the reconciling of working and
in particular in the context of the United
family life,
Nations,
the Council of Europe and the International
Labour Organisation.

The balanced participation of women and of men in both
the labour market and in family life which is an
advantage to both men and women is an essential aspect
of the development of society, and maternity, paternity
and the rights of children are eminent social values to be
protected by society,
and the
European Community.

the Member States

(5)

Both men and women, without discrimination on the
grounds of sex, have a right
to reconcile family and
working life.

And bearing in mind that:

(10)

In the light of Article 141(3) of the Treaty establishing
the European Community, it is important to protect both
male and female workers exercising rights relating to
paternity, maternity or to the reconciling of working and
family life.

(11) The beginning of the twenty-first century is a symbolic
moment to give shape to the new social contract on

(6)

There is a significant acquis communautaire, as well as
other relevant initiatives in the European Union context,

(1) OJ L 72, 21.3.2000, p. 15.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

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gender, in which the de facto equality of men and women
in the public and private domains will be socially
accepted as a condition for democracy, a prerequisite for
citizenship and a guarantee of individual autonomy and
freedom, and will be reflected in all European Union
policies,

untransferable right
to paternity leave, subsequent
upon the birth or adoption of a child, maintaining
their rights relating to employment to be taken at the
same time as
takes maternity leave
irrespective of the length of the periods of maternity
and paternity leave;

the mother

1.

DECLARE THAT:

(a)

the objective of balanced participation of men and women
in family and working life, coupled with the objective of
balanced participation of men and women in the
decision-making
particularly
relevant conditions for equality between men and women;

constitute

process,

two

(ii)

examining the scope for the respective legal systems
to grant working men rights likely to provide major
support
for family life with a view to cementing
equality;

(iii)

reinforcing measures to encourage a balanced sharing
between working men and women of the care to be
provided for children, elderly, disabled or other
dependent persons;

(b) there is a need for a global and integrated approach for
reconciling family and working life as a right for men and
women, a means of personal fulfillment in public, social,
family and private life, an eminent social value, as the
responsibility of
the Member States and the
European Community;

society,

(iv)

reinforcing measures to encourage the development
of support services for families and laying down
criteria
the
as
improvement of child-care structures;

examining

regards

results

for

(c)

it is necessary to make every effort and to promote specific
measures, as well as the respective accompanying and
evaluation measures, in particular by means of appropriate
indicators, to bring about the changes in structures and
attitudes which are essential for the balanced participation
of men and women in the family and at work;

(v)

granting, where appropriate, specific protection to
single-parent families;

(vi)

examining the possibility of harmonising school and
working hours;

(d)

it is necessary to promote measures to improve the quality
of life for all, in respect and in active solidarity between
men and women vis-(cid:224)-vis both future
and older
generations.

(vii) examining the possibility of developing school
programmes supporting an awareness of the needs
related to reconciling working and family life as a
precondition for the equality of men and women;

2.

ENCOURAGE Member States to:

(a) reinforce in their Government programmes the promotion
of balanced participation of men and women in family and
working life as one of the basic conditions for de facto
equality, indicating the concrete measures to be adopted,
both horizontal and specific;

(b) develop global and integrated strategies aimed at bringing
about the balanced participation of men and women in
family
the measures
enumerated below, without prejudice to the best practices
applied in the different Member States:

and working

considering

life,

(i)

examining
legal
for
systems to grant working men an individual and

respective

scope

the

the

(viii) regularly

a

compiling

publishing

report
and
containing figures on the participation of women and
men in the labour market and of men and women in
family life, as well as on the use by women and men
of maternity, paternity and parental leave, and their
respective effects on the situation of men and women
in order to acquire accurate
in the labour market,
knowledge of the factual situation and to promote
public awareness in this area;

(ix) providing support for scientific research in this area
so as to enable the development of new ideas and
concepts;

(x)

developing incentives and support measures
for
non-governmental organisations which are actively
committed to the objective set out in this resolution;

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(xi)

devising,
launching and promoting information and
awareness campaigns at regular intervals, designed to
develop more progressive outlooks as regards both
the general public and specific target groups;

(xii) encouraging businesses,

and
in particular
medium-sized enterprises,
to introduce and extend
management practices which take account of their
workers’ family life.

small

3.

(a)

CALL UPON the institutions and bodies of the European
Community:

to implement measures, in their capacity as employers and
on the basis of a review, promoting the balanced
recruitment and career advancement of men and women
with a view to preventing the horizontal and vertical
segregation of the labour market;

(b) to evaluate the results thereof periodically and have them

published.

4.

CALL ON the Commission:

(a) notably within the framework of Community initiative
to step up its information and awareness
programmes,
effort and its efforts to promote research and to introduce
pilot schemes to implement the balanced participation of
men and women in family and working life;

(b) to take account of

this

placing

resolution in its

fifth action
programme on equal opportunities for men and women,
notably
family
responsibilities of men and women in the context of its
strategic objectives and giving sufficient prominence to
measures to promote the balanced participation of men
and women in working and family life;

emphasis

equality

on

of

(c)

to propose, in the light of the new requirements laid down
the Treaty
in Article 2, 3, 137(1)
establishing the European Community and taking into
account the aforementioned fifth action programme, new
forms of balanced participation of women and men both
in working and family life;

and 141(3) of

at

(d) to work towards developing dialogue between the social
partners
their
European level, whilst
autonomy, with a view to the promotion of equality
between men and women by reconciling family and
working life;

respecting

(e)

to ensure that
regularly on progress made in this area.

the Member States are kept

informed

5.

(a)

CALL on employers in the public and private sectors,
workers and the social partners at national and European
level:

to step up their efforts to ensure balanced participation of
men and women in family and working life, notably
through the organisation of working time
and the
abolition of conditions which lead to wage differentials
between men and women;

(b)

in particular the social partners to endeavour to find
solutions which encourage the balanced participation of
men and women in working life.

6.

UNDERTAKE TO conduct regular discussions on the topics
covered by this resolution in a parallel framework to the
topic of balanced participation of men and women in the
decision-making process.