Convening ahead of a crunch European Council which will discuss the EU’s recovery plan, the PES Women executive endorsed a policy briefing – A gender mainstreamed COVID-19 recovery plan for Europe – containing key policies that must guide Europe’s recovery.
If implemented, these measures would begin to rectify pre-existing gender divides in unemployment, domestic labour and financial insecurity which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.
Policies set out in the document include gender budgeting, a Women’s Corona Fund, and gender impact assessments. Gender equality must also be a precondition for receiving recovery money, PES Women say, and the recovery should have the long-term goal of shifting Europe towards a feminist economic system which puts equality, wellbeing and care at the centre.
To oversee and assess progress, and to show that the EU is taking gender equality seriously, PES Women has reiterated its call for a dedicated Council configuration for gender equality.
PES Women President Zita Gurmai said:
“PES Women has a clear message for the European Council: women and girls must be placed at the heart of Europe’s COVID-19 response. It would be a huge mistake if they overlooked this dimension during their discussions.
“A green and gender-equal recovery is the only way to build an inclusive, sustainable and resilient society for the future. The disproportionate burden carried by women during the pandemic deserves an appropriate financial response at EU, national, regional and local levels. Without gender mainstreamed budgets and targeted funding for gender equality, the crisis response risks perpetuating and aggravating existing inequalities.”
At the videoconference meeting, the PES Women executive also discussed upcoming campaigns and activities, the next stage of their push for a European Council on Gender Equality, and regional specificities concerning the impact of COVID-19 on women.
The policy briefing is able to read here: A gender mainstreamed COVID-19 recovery plan for Europe.
