Back in 2007, PES Women used the EEPD, to call of equal pay based on the Belgian model, with our “Gender Pay Gap, Shut it!” action. We put this issue on the European agenda and kept it high. Last year, through our campaign ‘Women and pensions: it’s different for women’, PES Women raised this issue of the pay gap and its long-term consequences. 

The Gender Pay Gap is not an issue only of different salaries. There are many gender gaps between women and men that lead to the gender pay gap. One of these is the unequal access to the labour market. This is why this year, PES Women want to underline that young women also count when it comes to employment! In the framework of the PES campaign calling for a European Youth Guarantee [http://www.pes.org/en/news/pes-major-report-youth-unemployment-calls-progressive-european-youth-guarantee], PES Women highlights the gender perspective of unemployment among youth. The specific causes of youth unemployment among women and their long term effects must not been ignored, as they also contribute to the gender pay gap.

Gender segregation in education and on the labour market as well as the lack of work-family life balance are central causes. PES Women’s proposals include developing gender sensitive orientation policies in schools; capacity-building and trainings to develop new skills for women; developing new jobs, especially green jobs and jobs in the care sector for women and men; strengthening policies to reconcile professional and private life, especially through the advancement of the Maternity Leave Directive at European level.

2 March: Check out the nice clip prepared by the European Commission on the occasion of EEPD

4 March: Event in Warsaw, Poland, 11:00-4:00. Conference “Together in combating violence against women –cooperation for today and tomorrow” organised by SLD, our Polish member party. 

4-8 March: ECOSY Winter University at the European Parliament, Brussels. I will present PES Women campaign on 5 March between 17:45 and 18:30. 

6 March: Silver Rose Award at the European Parliament, Brussels, 7:00-8:30 organised by SOLIDAR. More information and registration

7 March: Event in the European Parliament, Brussels, 4:00-6:00. Conference “Gender Pay Gap and Evaluation of Work” organized by the S&D Group.

8 March: International Women’s Day. I will participate in the picnic organised in collaboration with FPS, PS Belgium women’s organization. Join us: “Women on the Bridge”, Pont Sainctelette, Brussels 12:30-13:30.