site.btaWorking Women in EU Still Receive 12% Less than Men, Says Robert Schuman Institute President

Women are still paid 12% less per hour than men as the European average, Robert Schuman Institute President Mariya Gabriel said on Monday at the opening of the More Women in Power conference in Sofia.

Gabriel said that good practices must continue to shared, new and sometimes worrying trends must be identified, but most importantly, it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute to progress and development. The new Roadmap for Women's Rights addresses eight major areas where there are still challenges to women's rights, said Gabriel. She noted that work against violence against women must continue, as one in three women in the EU is still a victim of violence. Gabriel also highlighted the problem of online violence and harassment, with the two categories of women most often targeted by such attacks being female politicians and female journalists. Regarding women in politics, only 28 of the heads of state and presidents are women, she added.

Europe continues to be the best place to live for women, the President of the Robert Schuman Institute stressed. She added that representation of women in parliaments at national, European and global levels has increased, but it is still extremely uneven when it comes to individual countries, Gabriel stressed. The European Parliament remains the best-represented institution in terms of women, where 39% are women.

She highlighted that the topic of quotas for women is not unanimous. Monday's conference is an occasion to think about legislative and non-legislative measures that can yield a better result. “Undoubtedly, we must continue to identify some of the cultural, institutional and financial barriers, and continue to talk about the balance in personal and professional life,” said Gabriel.