Three days ago, the European Commission published the first regional monitor for gender equality in cohesion policy for 2021. This first report presents the achievements and disadvantages of women in EU regions. The study was based on certain economic and social criteria in each Member State. The report says that women in northern Europe are more advantaged than others in other areas.
The first gender equality report in 2021 published by the European Commission
The European Commission’s report, published on 13 October this year, provides an accurate picture of where women achieve the most at regional level in Europe and where they face the greatest disadvantages. The paper is based on two specially developed indices: “Women’s Achievement Index” and “Women’s Disadvantage Index”. the two indices reveal both the regions in which women achieve more and those in which they are disadvantaged compared to men.
“I am delighted to present this groundbreaking work on mapping the glass ceiling that women face at regional level in Europe. The report shows that more needs to be done to help women get the same opportunities as men.
The Commission will continue to work hard for a Europe with gender equality, “said Cohesion and Reform Commissioner Elisa Ferreira.
The paper shows that, on average, women in more developed regions are able to achieve more. At the same time, these successful women are less disadvantaged. the other part of the study shows that most women in less developed regions face great challenges, and also many disadvantages.
In some countries, the EC report says, women near capitals tend to get more and are less disadvantaged. In general, regions with a lower female achievement index have a lower gross domestic product per capita. Another conclusion of the report is that the equities with a higher level of achievement of women have a higher level of human development. Finally, the quality of governance is higher in regions where women achieve more.
Women in Greece and Romania have a common denominator
The results of the 2021 edition of the monitor show that the highest level of achievement of women is observed in the northern regions. The highest score was recorded in the capital region Helsinki-Uusimaa. The highest level of female achievement is observed in the northern regions and in most Austrian regions.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the regions of the south-eastern Member States are performing at a much lower level. Women’s achievement tends to be higher in the capital regions in almost all Member States. Women in the Nordic countries, France and Spain face the slightest disadvantage.
Women in Greece and Romania face the biggest disadvantage. In this case, both women in Gecia and Romania do not have a share in state structures and large businesses, such as those in the Nordic countries. In other words, they are far behind the men in these two states, which creates great social and economic disadvantages. The four regions with the least disadvantage are Auvergne, in France, followed by the Spanish regions La Rioja and Galicia.
