Austrian MEP: if countries delay ratification of the Istanbul Convention, we will consider doing so at EU level

The unexpected global coronavirus pandemic only exacerbated long-standing problems. Evelyn Regner, an Austrian MEP, emphasized that the crisis had hit women especially hard and that for some social distance and working from home meant a greater sense of security, for others it meant extra work to care for and teach children.

“If women used to do more unpaid work in the past, before the COVID-19 crisis, this inequality was exacerbated by dysfunctional child care facilities, leaving female partners and authorities alone to care for children. These jobs are still often considered a natural duty of women. Such an approach still dictates domestic politics and arrangements. And this is happening in almost every household, regardless of their income level, even when women are the main sources of income in the household, ”said a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.

“While the contribution and participation of men in care has increased recently, that burden on women has increased even more. Much more. This meant a greater psychological, physical and emotional burden for women, making it difficult for women to achieve equality. This is an advantage for men, which prevents women from catching them, ”said the politician.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), gender equality in the EU is only 67.9%, and if we continue to advance at the current rate, we will only achieve gender equality in 60 years. According to Ms Regner, most of the jobs lost during the pandemic were for women, and this is due to the fact that they often work in sectors particularly affected by COVID-19, such as childcare, retail and hospitality. tourism.

“At the same time, women from different sectors should earn a similar salary, but there is still a big mismatch. The mismatch between gender pay and pensions remains a grim reality across the European Union. Looking at the average, women still get 14.1 percent. lower hourly wage than their male counterparts. One third of this can be explained by inferior positions or unequal qualifications, but two thirds do not meet these criteria and therefore constitute pure discrimination on the basis of sex. As for the pension gap, the figures are even more shocking. And this is another clear message from working women: we cannot wait another hundred years, “said the president of the EP Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

Front lines

Women are at a higher risk of contracting the virus due to the disproportionate number of workers at the forefront of key sectors.

76 percent of 49 million EU health workers (doctors, nurses, midwives, hospitalized patients) are women. Most of them work in the health sector in Latvia (88%), the fewest in Malta (53%).

They also represent 82 percent. tellers, 93 percent. child care workers and teachers, 95 percent. housewives and helpers and 86 percent. personal care workers.

“But this crisis has also shown that women are strong. They are strong health workers, strong mothers, strong leaders around the world. From Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand, to Angela Merkel in Germany, from Katarina Jacobsen in Iceland, to Sanna Marin in Finland, to name just a few. Women leaders have great influence in the management and control of a pandemic. They are strong leaders in their teams in hospitals, schools, laboratories and supermarkets, “Regner said.

It was seconded by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, a researcher on the balance of sexuality and author of several books on the subject. “I wrote an article in April that was widely discussed and read 8 million times about countries that have handled the coronavirus crisis better than others. They had one thing in common: they were all run by women. I tried to identify what in the actions of these leaders led to such a result, what differentiated them from the less favored countries, and four characteristics emerged. First, they were very straightforward and open. Second, they acted decisively and quickly. Third, they were based on technology and science. And fourth, they did it all with an exceptional tone and style characterized by patronage and emotional intelligence. I would say that most of these criteria are not stereotypically attributed to femininity, except perhaps the last one, ”said AW Cox.

According to Harward Business Rewiev and the writing experts at Forbes, there was a stark contrast to the leadership of other countries. “The contrast has become apparent compared to some of the worst leaders and worst performers we saw, especially at the beginning of the crisis, which is characterized not only by a male leadership trait, but also by a very toxic one,” he said .

Consider ratifying the Istanbul Convention at the community level

The unexpected closure of the quarantine also highlighted another sensitive issue: domestic violence. Even before the pandemic, around 50 women died each week in the EU from domestic violence, and this number increased during the quarantine. Additionally, restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have made it difficult for victims to obtain assistance.

“At this particularly stressful time, we also have a problem that has become particularly acute in recent months and that we must address: the scale of violence against women has increased considerably. Even before the crisis, one in five women in our societies suffered domestic violence. During the pandemic, this number increased by at least a third, “said the politician.

“Now, more than ever, the most dangerous place for some women is home. At the same time, some countries are considering departing from the Istanbul Convention. Poland and Hungary, for example, say they do not want to support the ideology of sexuality. It’s just an excuse, and even a failed excuse. The Istanbul Convention tries to protect women from violence and everything. It is a necessary step towards a more equal society where women can feel safe at home and abroad. We need steps forward, not backward. “We need financial support for women’s shelters to criminalize gender-based violence, and we need European Union regulations to guarantee this in all countries,” Regner said.

The increase in Internet use during the pandemic has increased the incidence of online gender-based violence and sexual harassment of boys and especially girls.

“We are very active in the European Parliament and we work together with all parties. In the ideal scenario, European countries should ratify this convention, but several countries are missing. I have already mentioned that there is some resistance, both in Hungary and in Poland, but not only there. Plan B would then, if the parties do not take the measures to prevent violence, punishment and relief measures contained in the Istanbul Convention, then Plan B would be for the European Commission to take the content of the Convention from Istanbul and all the necessary directives to protect women and try another way of codecision, perhaps we will achieve the required majority ”, said the Austrian politician.

“This would be supported by the European Parliament, and the fight against violence against women would become a European fight. If we continue down that path, we could compare the specific figures and take whatever necessary action is necessary. We are currently awaiting a ruling from the European Court of Justice on whether it would be possible for the European Union to ratify the agreement even without the support of all members of the community. And I note that the Portuguese Presidency is very active on this issue and the European Parliament supports this initiative, “he said.

Merkel fears a threat to progress on gender equality

In her speech on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also highlighted the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic to the progress already made on gender equality.

“We need to make sure that the pandemic does not force us to go back to the old gender patterns that we think we have already overcome,” Merkel said in a video posted on March 8 for International Women’s Day.

“Once again, it is women who must take care of the balance between educating children at home, taking care of children and their work,” Merkel said.

Women have felt the disproportionate impact of the health crisis, the German chancellor said, although they remain underrepresented in decision-making.

“It cannot be that women are such an important pillar of our society, but at the same time they are not equally involved in important political, economic and social decisions,” he added.

Germany has one of the largest pay gaps between women and men in the European Union: in 2019, women earned an average of 19%. less than men, partly because many German women work part-time.