The European Parliament wants measures to close the wage gap for working women and to tackle domestic violence against women. The Parliament also wants all EU countries to uphold the right to abortion.
In the EU, the inequality between men and women in the labor market is enormous. At the current rate, it will take sixty years before there is full gender equality. In the EU, women face a wage gap of 14.1 percent and a pension gap of 29.5 percent. Working conditions are often much worse as well.
Companies that do not comply with labor laws must be punished, according to the Parliament, which also wants companies to disclose how high their wages are. Apart from that, EU countries can do much more themselves. The European Parliament calls on countries to further support maternity and paternity rights by extending leave periods.
They must also ensure that parents receive equal and full pay during their leave. The Parliament wants flexible work arrangements after leave and more investments in good and local childcare. Furthermore, the MEPs want to eliminate violence against women. Member states must take measures to ensure perpetrators are caught and prosecuted.
The Istanbul Convention regulates women's rights. The Parliament calls on Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia to ratify this convention. The MEPs also emphasize that abortion is a fundamental right and that it must not be tampered with within the EU. This is currently the case in Poland.
The PvdA in the European Parliament is positive about the report. According to PvdA MEP Vera Tax, there is still much work to be done. Tax emphasizes that 'conservative forces' in Poland want to undermine the right to abortion. 'We will continue to resist this and I am pleased with the laws the EU will shortly enact regarding online violence and equal pay for equal work.'