The European Parliament’s fight for gender equality in the EU
Find out how the EU and the European Parliament work to protect women's rights and to improve gender equality at work, in politics and other areas.
EU measures to tackle gender inequalities
From the beginning the European Union has promoted gender equality and a more social Europe. The EU has adopted important legislation and EU funding supports action by member states.
The European Parliament has passed, together with the Council, key legislative acts that advance women’s rights. In addition, Parliament regularly adopts own initiative reports, calling for more efforts to improve gender equality.
The concepts of EU gender equality policy were also shaped by European Court of Justice rulings.
The European Parliament has a standing committee dedicated to women's rights and gender equality. Every year, Parliament marks International Women's Day on 8 March and raises awareness by organising events.
Reflecting on the progress made in defending women’s rights in recent years and the challenges ahead, MEPs have expressed concern with the backlash in some EU countries and the risk that gender equality could slip down their agenda.
Parliament has also called on the European Commission to ensure that women’s rights are taken into account in all its proposals, to develop concrete plans to improve women’s poverty rates and to strengthen efforts to close the gender pay gap.
Gender equality week at the Parliament
The European Parliament introduced an annual European Gender Equality Week in 2020. It provides an opportunity for Parliament’s committees to consider the issues they deal with from the perspective of gender.
Adopted legislation
The EU aims to ensure gender equality at work, in politics and other areas. Adopted legislation covers a vast variety of issues: helping ending unequal pay, eliminating gender-based discrimination, boosting women’s presence on corporate boards and combatting violence against women.
Combatting violence against women
In April 2024, Parliament adopted the first ever EU rules on combatting violence against women. The goal is to prevent gender-based violence and protect victims, especially women and victims of domestic violence. The directive calls for stronger laws against cyberviolence, better assistance for victims, steps to prevent rape and define sexual consent better.
The rules provide that the safety and well-being of victims should be prioritised, including by offering access to sheltered accommodation.
New rules to reduce gender pay gap
Parliament has been pushing for concrete measures to narrow the gender pay gap - the difference in earnings between men and women - which in the EU was an average of 12.7% in 2022 and the pension gap - the difference in pension income that men and women get - which stood at 29% in 2019. It also called for measures to tackle female poverty, as women are more likely to live in poverty than men.
In March 2023, Parliament adopted new rules that require companies to disclose information on salaries, making it easier to compare remuneration and expose gender pay gaps. If pay reporting shows a gender pay gap of at least 5%, employers will have to conduct a joint pay assessment in cooperation with workers’ representatives. EU countries will have to impose penalties, such as fines for employers that infringe the rules. Vacancy notices and job titles will have to be gender neutral.
“Each member state shall ensure that the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value is applied.”
Women on company boards
In November 2022, Parliament approved rules to boost gender equality on corporate boards. The directive aims to introduce transparent recruitment procedures in companies, so that at least 40% of non-executive director posts or 33% of all director posts are occupied by the under-represented sex by the end of June 2026.
The legislation applises to the boards of publicly listed companies in the EU. Small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees are excluded from the rules.
Maternity, paternity and parental leave
In 2019, the EU approved new rules on family and care-related leave and more adaptable working conditions, to create more incentives for fathers to take family-related leave and to increase women’s employment rate.
EU legislation on gender equality in the workplace:
- rules on employment (incl. equal pay, social security, working conditions and harassment)
- rules on self-employment
- rights to maternity, paternity and parental leave
Other initiatives supported by the European Parliament
Women's sexual and reproductive rights
In a resolution adopted in April 2024, MEPs urged the Council to add sexual and reproductive healthcare and the right to a safe and legal abortion to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights - a demand they had made several times. The text invited EU countries to fully decriminalise abortion in line with the 2022 guidelines of the World Health Organization. MEPs called on the European Commission to ensure that organisations working against gender equality and women’s rights, including reproductive rights, do not receive EU funding.
In March 2022, Parliament adopted the EU Gender Action Plan III aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights outside the EU and ensuring universal access in EU countries.
Women in politics
The Parliament has repeatedly highlighted the importance of gender equality in politics, promoting women's equal participation in decision-making processes at all levels.
The share of women elected as MEPs at the European elections in June 2024 was 38.5%, a slight decrease compared to 39.8% just before the elections.
In a report adopted in January 2019, Parliament called on European political parties to ensure both women and men were put forward for the bodies governing the European Parliament in the ninth parliamentary term.
More women in ICT and sciences
Women are underrepresented in Europe’s digital sector as they are less likely to take up studies or apply for a job in this field. In a resolution adopted in 2018, MEPs called on EU countries to put in place measures to ensure the full integration of women into ICT sectors, as well as foster education and training in ICT, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
