Debate: Women’s poverty in Europe
Date: MONDAY, 4 JULY 2022
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

Care responsibilities keep some 7.7 million women out of the labour market, compared with just 450 000 men. Other important drivers of gender inequalities include the over-representation of women in low-paid sectors, segregation related to the choice of education and career paths, and the under-representation of women in management and decision-making positions. Certain women are more at risk of poverty and social exclusion than others. This is the case, for instance, of women living alone, migrant women, elderly women and women with disabilities. Several initiatives in the Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan of the European pillar of social rights can be game-changers for women’s economic empowerment and can help tackle the structural issues that cause, exacerbate or perpetuate women’s poverty. The Action Plan sets a target for an employment rate of 78% by 2030, complemented by an ambition to reduce by at least 50% the gender employment gap. The employment target will also contribute to achieving the poverty headline target under the Action Plan, which aims to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty by at least 15 million by 2030. The proposal for a Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages aims to reduce wage inequality and poverty for all of the most vulnerable workers, many of whom are women. And I welcome that on 7 June, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on this initiative. The Commission will adopt later this year a proposal for a Council Recommendation on Minimum Income to support Member States in ensuring that those lacking sufficient resources receive an adequate minimum income benefit for a life in dignity. In March 2021 the Commission put forward a proposal for binding pay transparency rules. Negotiations between the co-legislators kicked off on 30 June and will hopefully lead to a swift adoption. Ensuring the right to equal pay between women and men as enshrined in the Treaties will contribute towards closing the gender pay gap and strengthen women’s economic empowerment. Women’s economic empowerment, professional choices and meaningful participation in the labour market depend on available, affordable and good quality care structures. This year the Commission will come forward with a new European Care Strategy. It will be accompanied by a proposal to revise the Barcelona targets on early childhood education and care. It will build upon the European Child Guarantee, which aims to support vulnerable children. Concerning long term care, the strategy will set a framework for policy reform to ensure better and more affordable access to quality services for all. The Care Strategy will also address carers. Care work is often undervalued and the time has come for us to start caring about care. Many care workers, more than 80% of them in the EU are women, and a number of them are of migrant backgrounds, face difficult working conditions and have limited career prospects. It is crucial to ensure that in the post-pandemic recovery we recognise and value women’s immense and sometimes invisible contribution to our economy and societies. Improving working conditions in the sector requires stronger social dialogue, adequate pay, and upskilling and reskilling opportunities. Informal care should be a choice rather than a necessity, driven by lack of quality and affordable services. Support measures should be in place for informal carers. The unprecedented EU funds available and already in use will support this endeavour. I’m thinking here particularly of NextGeneration EU as well as the cohesion policy funds, notably the European Social Fund+, our main instrument for investing in people, and the European Regional Development Fund. The Commission stands ready to support Member States in undertaking relevant reforms, particularly to integrate care through the technical support instrument. Each of these instruments and initiatives contributes to the empowerment of women and gives them the tools to help them to thrive. Better sharing of care between parents is a key factor to ensure that most women and men can participate equally and in a meaningful way in the labour market. The Work-Life Balance Directive will make it easier for both women and men to combine work with care responsibilities. The aim is to encourage both women and men to equally share care responsibilities. The Commission will closely follow the transposition of the directive, set for August 2022. So thank you for putting the debate on combating women’s poverty high on the agenda. We need a gender-transformative approach to ensure that all women and girls are equally included, recognised and valued for their contribution in society. It is a long road to gender equality and we will need to continue paving it. We count on your support to continue mainstreaming gender equality into legislation, policies, programmes and actions.