Tag: Women

Europe’s most influential business lobby will have its first female leader starting in July, but as BusinessEurope holds its annual summit over the next two days, men will dominate at the podium.

Traditional gender stereotypes are still alive in many countries, but leaders have to make an effort to allow women to participate and contribute to the well-being of nations, says Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. She told EurActiv in an exclusive interview that quotas should be the last resort.

SPECIAL REPORT / Europe’s ICT industry has a ‘moral’ obligation to pull behind the Commission’s new Grand Coalition for Digital Growth and Jobs and help young people get jobs, Commission vice president, in charge of the digital economy, has told EurActiv in an interview.

The EU should support rural public education programmes in Africa, with a special focus on women, to facilitate adoption of sustainable farming practices, says Hailemariam Teklewold, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg.

A European Union ban on insurers using gender to set prices, which comes into force today (21 December), will likely lead to higher insurance costs for consumers.

SPECIAL REPORT / Working in cooperatives is better for women’s chances of promotion, work- life balance, professional development and pay, according to research unveiled yesterday (16 October) in Brussels.

As the European Union considers imposing binding quotas for women on companies' boards, similar instruments should also be envisaged for media boards, argues Klaus Heeger.

During a debate to improve the number of women in top positions, EU ministers gave the green light to Commission vice-president Viviane Reding “to do something” to boost gender balance, which is "good for business."

Despite considerable progress in advancing women's roles in politics and business, Europe is struggling to reach full gender parity and quotas are seen as a "questionable" remedy.

The World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index provides a comprehensive framework for benchmarking global gender gaps but should give data on issues such as paternity leave to give a more balanced picture, writes Dr Jane Hailé, a consultant to governments and the European Commission specialising in gender, human rights and development.

To celebrate Women's Day, EurActiv asked five prominent women to set out their visions for the future of the European Union. Starting with Dalia Grybauskaitė, president of Lithuania, these successful professionals are symbols of the economic, political and social achievements of Europe's women.  

Sports organisations should strive towards better gender balance among their top executives, as women can generate new business by generating increased 'consumer' understanding and different arguments, says Amanda Bennett, chair of the European Women and Sport group, in an interview with EurActiv. 

"Our economy has a real problem with under-representation of women," according to Isabella Lenarduzzi, the founder of the 'JUMP' forum, which will take place in Brussels on 23 April. Speaking to EurActiv in an interview, she explained that "women's role in business is increasingly important".

Female politicians in the UK do well in the European Parliament as it offers "the sort of politics women like to be associated with" and is "much more collegial, much more consensual and less confrontational 'ya-boo' boy politics of Westminster," the leader of the UK Labour delegation in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott, told EurActiv in an interview.

'Females in Front', a campaign that seeks to boost women's representation in the European Parliament and other EU top jobs available next year, has embraced Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate for the US presidency, despite her long-standing opposition to abortion.

Sport can be a powerful tool to empower girls and women to achieve their full potential in society by creating an enabling environment for gender equality, argues the founder of an international fund supporting women's sport programmes in an interview with EurActiv.

Europe should not shy away from positive discrimination as a means of promoting female scientists as it will help tackle skills shortages in scientific disciplines, argues the author of a Parliament report on women in science in an interview with EurActiv.

Men rule in sports, both as athletes and coaches as well as consumers of the sports entertainment industry. Encouraging women and girls - who often drop out of sport too early - to get more involved is a challenge.

More than 80% of UK women do not exercise enough to improve their health, found a study commissioned by a British charity for women's sport. The crisis in women's fitness levels will only get worse unless specific solutions are developed, it argues.

More needs to be done to achieve a better balance between private and professional life, in particular for women, argues the Commission. Social partners have been asked to comment.

The European Women and Sport network, building on the work done on the good governance in sports, is now set to promote quality in sports through equality.

A report on facts and figures on women's health in Europe highlights substantial differences in women's health status, exposure to health risks and access to healthcare across Europe.