President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Gender equality is a core principle of the European Union, but it is not yet a reality. In business, politics and society as a whole, we can only reach our full potential if we use all of our talent and diversity. Using only half of the population, half of the ideas or half of the energy is not good enough. With the Gender Equality Strategy, we are pushing for more and faster progress to promote equality between men and women.”
Vice-President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourová said: “Europe is a good address for women, despite all shortcomings. As our society is undergoing important transitions, be it green or digital, we must ensure that women and men have equal opportunities and that inequalities are not further exacerbated by change. On the contrary, we have to create conditions for women to be agents for a fair transition at work and in private.”
Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said: “The pursuit of equality does not require the shifting of anything from one basket to another. Equality is an infinite resource, and there is enough of it for everyone. On the flipside, discrimination costs the individuals that suffer it and society as a whole dearly, in lack of personal recognition, lack of meritocracy and loss of talent and innovation. With the Gender Equality Strategy, we are anchoring gender equality at the core of EU policy development. We aim to ensure that women do not have to surmount additional hurdles to achieve what men have as a given and are instead able to reach their full potential.”
The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 presents policy objectives and actions with the aim to instil substantial progress towards gender equality by 2025. The main goal is to have a Union where women and men, girls and boys are free to follow their selected path in life and have equal opportunities. The strategy uses a dual approach whereby gender mainstreaming is combined with other targeted actions, while intersectionality remains a horizontal principle for its implementation.
The key principles for this strategy are:
- Ending gender-based violence
- Challenging gender stereotypes
- Closing the gender gap within the labour market
- Attain equal participation across different sectors
- Tackle the gender pay and pension gap
- Tackle the gender care gap
- Attain a gender balance in decision making and politics