Informele bijeenkomst Raad voor gelijkheid mannen en vrouwen over kansen op werk, 4 oktober 2007 (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Commissie (EC), gepubliceerd op woensdag 3 oktober 2007.

An informal meeting of Gender Equality Ministers will take place on 4 October in Lisbon in the margins of the Presidency conference on "Gender Equality Experts: Employability and Entrepreneurshipâ€. Mr Pedro Pereira, Portuguese minister of the Presidency will host the meeting. Mr Vladimír Spidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities will represent the Commission. The Presidency conference is being co-financed by the European Commission.

One of the Portuguese Presidency's priorities in the area of gender equality is gender mainstreaming in the EU's Lisbon strategy for Growth and Jobs. The aim of the informal meeting is for Ministers to share best practice and exchange legislative experience on integrating equality between men and women into policies as a follow-up to the European Pact for Gender Equality (2006) and the European Commission's Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men (2006-2010). Topics for discussion will include:

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    Gender mainstreaming and the next stage of the EU's strategy for Growth and Jobs;
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    Women's Employability and Entrepreneurship;
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    Reconciliation between professional, private and family life of women and men.

In addition, the Trio Presidency (Germany, Portugal and Slovenia) will sign a Declaration on Equality between women and men and the EU's strategy for Growth and Jobs. The Trio will be represented by Pedro Pereira, Portuguese Minister of the Presidency, Hermann Kues, German Parliamentary State Secretary and Marieta Cotman, Slovenian Minister for Labour, Family and Social Affairs.

Out of 8 million jobs created in the EU since 2000, 6 million have been filled by women, and 59% of university graduates are now female. But while women are outperforming men in educational achievement and boosting Europe's overall employment rate, they are still underpaid, earning on average 15% less than men for every hour worked, and undergo various obstacles and inequalities such as lack of reconciliation between private and professional life. The area of employability, entrepreneurship and gender stereotypes are all vital to achieving genuine equality between men and women and essential to the future of Europe.

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