Communication from the Commission A Strengthened Commitment to Equality between Women and Men A Women's Charter Declaration by the European Commission on the occasion of the 2010 International Women's Day in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of a Declaration and Platform for Action at the Beijing UN World Conference on Women and of the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Date: 2010-03-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, anti-discriminatory measure, decision-making, equal pay, equal treatment, gender equality, third country, violence

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 5.3.2010 
COM(2010)78 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

A Strengthened Commitment to Equality between Women and Men  
A Women's Charter 

Declaration by the European Commission on the occasion of the 2010 International 
Women's Day  

in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of a Declaration and 
Platform for Action at the Beijing UN World Conference on Women and of the 30th 
anniversary of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
against Women 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

A Strengthened Commitment to Equality between Women and Men  
A Women's Charter 

Declaration by the European Commission on the occasion of the 2010 International 
Women's Day  

in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of a Declaration and 
Platform for Action at the Beijing UN World Conference on Women and of the 30th 
anniversary of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
against Women 

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INTRODUCTION 

Equality between women and men is a fundamental right, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty 
on European Union and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is one 
of the common values on which the European Union is founded.  

Economic  and  social  cohesion,  sustainable  growth  and  competitiveness,  and  tackling  the 
demographic challenge depend on real equality between women and men. 

Europe has made remarkable progress towards equality between men and women during the 
past decades: it has taken commitment to heart, put partnership into action, and combined its 
resources  and  instruments  –  legal,  political  and  financial  –  to  bring  about  change.  Today, 
more  girls  than  boys  graduate  from  universities.  Today,  more  women  than  ever  before 
participate in Europe's labour force. Today, Europe fulfils more of its talents and uses more of 
its skills.  

Obstacles to real equality, however, remain.  

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Beijing UN World Conference on Women, we 
reiterate and strengthen the European Commission's commitment to making equality between 
women and men a reality. We will do this by strengthening the gender perspective in all our 
policies throughout our term of office and by bringing forward specific measures to promote 
gender equality. We pledge to dedicate the necessary resources to realise it. 

In  particular,  the  following  principles  of  equality  between  women  and  men  will  underpin 
actions under this European Commission's term of office: 

1. 

EQUAL ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE  

Discrimination,  educational  stereotypes,  labour  market  segregation,  precarious 
employment  conditions,  involuntary  part-time  work  and  the  unbalanced  sharing  of 
care responsibilities with men affect the life choices and the economic independence 
of many women.  

We reaffirm our commitment to ensure the full realisation of women’s potential and 
the  full  use  of  their  skills,  to  facilitate  a  better  gender  distribution  on  the  labour 
market and more quality jobs for women. We will resolutely promote gender equality 
in  the  Europe  2020  strategy,  consider  quantified  targets  where  appropriate,  and 
promote  genuine  opportunities  for  both  women  and  men  to  enjoy  a  work-life 
balance. 

2. 

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK AND WORK OF EQUAL VALUE  

Women  in  the  European  Union  still  earn  on  average  18%  less  than  men  for  every 
hour worked. They have fewer resources during their working life and in retirement, 
face more difficulties in accessing finance, and so are more affected than men by all 
forms of poverty, including in-work poverty.  

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We  reaffirm  our  commitment  to  a  forceful  mobilisation  of  all  instruments,  both 
legislative and non-legislative, to close the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap is a 
cost Europe cannot afford. Together with the 27 EU Member States, we will work to 
significantly  reduce  the  gender  pay  gap  in  the  European  Union  by  the  end  of  this 
European Commission's term of office.  

3. 

EQUALITY IN DECISION-MAKING 

Women  still  do  not  have  full  access  to  the  sharing  of  power  and  decision-making. 
Gender balance in decision-making, in political and economic life and in the public 
and  private  sectors,  will  help  Europe  shape  more  effective  policies,  develop  a 
gender-aware  knowledge-based  society,  and  create  a  stronger  and  more  prosperous 
democracy. 

We reaffirm our commitment to pursue the fairer representation of women and men 
in  positions  of  power  in  public  life  and  the  economy.  We  will  use  our  powers, 
including  Union  incentive  measures,  to  promote  a  greater  share  of  women  in 
positions of responsibility.  

At our own level, we will commit to making all efforts in order to improve gender 
balance within the Commission. 

4. 

DIGNITY, INTEGRITY AND AN END TO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 

The  full  enjoyment  of  fundamental  rights  by  women  and  girls  is  an  inalienable, 
integral  and  indivisible  part  of  universal  human  rights  and  is  essential  for  the 
advancement  of  women  and  girls,  peace,  security  and  development.  Gender-based 
violence, including harmful customary or traditional practices, constitutes a violation 
of fundamental rights, in particular human dignity, the right to life, and the right to 
the integrity of the person. Such violation prevents the exercise of a self-determined 
life.  

We reaffirm our commitment to ensure that respect for fundamental rights is at the 
core  of  our  activities.  We  will  undertake  efforts  to  eliminate  gender  inequalities  in 
access to healthcare and in health outcomes.  

Europe does not tolerate gender-based violence. We will step up efforts to eradicate 
all forms of violence and to provide support for those affected. We will put in place a 
comprehensive and effective policy framework to combat gender-based violence. We 
will  strengthen  our  action  to  eradicate  female  genital  mutilation  and  other  acts  of 
violence, including by means of criminal law, within the limits of our powers.  

5. 

GENDER EQUALITY BEYOND THE UNION 

Our  ambition  is  not  limited  to  the  borders  of  the  Union.  Gender  equality  must  be 
fully  incorporated  into  our  external  policies  too  so  as  to  foster  the  social  and 
economic independence and advancement of women and men throughout the world. 
The EU is committed to promoting gender equality in all contexts, including conflict 
and  post-conflict  countries.  Reducing  gender  inequalities,  tackling  gender-based 

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violence, and promoting women's rights are essential for developing sustainable and 
democratic societies.  

We  reaffirm  our  commitment  to  the  vigorous  pursuit  of  gender  equality  in  our 
relations with third countries, raise awareness of the rights of women, and push for 
the  implementation  of  existing  international  instruments.  We  will  promote  and 
strengthen  cooperation  with  international  and  regional  organisations  on  advancing 
gender  equality,  making  full  use  of  the  whole  range  of  available  instruments  and 
tools. We will also support both State and Non-State actors in their efforts to promote 
gender equality in partner countries. 

We  declare  our  readiness  to  work  on  gender  equality  in  partnership  with  all  stakeholders, 
including civil society, at national, European, and international levels and in particular on the 
principles set out in this Charter. We will present a new strategy for equality between women 
and  men  in  2010  for  the  term  of  office  of  this  European  Commission  and  we  will  report 
regularly on its implementation.  

We reaffirm our personal and collective commitment to a Europe of equality between women 
and men which offers a better life and a sustainable future for all.  

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