Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-08-Speech-2-041-000"
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"en.20110308.7.2-041-000"2
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"Madam President, Mrs Reding, ladies and gentlemen, I was born in 1979 at a time when European citizens were directly electing their representatives for the first time. I am proud of the fact that in this same year, for the first time ever, a woman – Simone Veil – a valiant supporter of women’s rights, assumed the Presidency of the European Parliament.
Today, I am one of the 35% of women represented here in this Chamber. Never before has this figure been so high in the European Parliament. So whom do we owe it to? We owe it to all those women who had the intelligence, the strength and the courage to join together and demand their right to vote, their right to work and to education. We owe it to those women who, quite simply, wanted to champion respect for their dignity and for their rights. We have been fighting for 100 years now to combat unfair and groundless discrimination. Significant progress has certainly been made, but combating gender inequalities is a day to day task and we have still a long way to go.
The European Union has always led the way when it comes to gender equality. I believe that this House of ours must ensure that it stays at the forefront of this momentum even when it comes to the most sensitive of subjects.
The present economic crisis has made us face our own contradictions. As highlighted in my report, the effects of the crisis have been felt more severely by women and its effects longer lasting for them than is the case for men. As I also pointed out, however, we need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, get a move on and come up with the answers! We should take this opportunity to alter our frames of mind and move forwards.
It is now vital to emphasise the role that schools play in combating gender stereotypes. By providing wider opportunities in education, vocational training and employment, we can improve women’s access to higher levels of responsibility. It is also time to put a stop to the persistent pay gap between men and women and I also believe we need to step up a gear when we look at the composition of boards of publicly listed companies. Only 3% of board members of publicly listed companies are women. That is not acceptable. Time to step on the gas. What if, despite all our efforts, the big companies keep applying the brakes? Well then, unfortunately, we will have to raise the spectre of quotas and binding targets. It is with reluctance that I speak of quotas because, in principle, I am not in favour of them. But if the carrot does not work, well then, the only alternative would be the stick. There is no denying it: the presence of women on the labour market can only benefit economic growth.
The European recovery plan will have a greater chance of success today if gender equality policies are an integral part of it. Concrete proposals to achieve a better work-life balance must be put forward to demonstrate that our ambitions can be more than mere dreams, because that is what is expected of us. It is all very well being driven by values and ideals, but we must also be pragmatic and effective in our work.
Finally, Madam President, I should like to raise one last point. I was pleased to hear that the European Commission was going to make a proposal in the spring to combat violence against women. The scourge of violence against women in all its forms needs to be fought with all our might. I would like to thank you, Commissioner, for being so proactive on this matter
Madam President, I am not a pessimist so I would like to end on a positive note, if I may. I think that on this day, the one hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day, we should pay tribute to the courage, strength and determination shown by women in Tunisia, Libya, Iran, Egypt and by countless others in their struggle to defend human rights.
The wind of freedom sweeping across North Africa should wipe out the last vestiges of authoritarianism, poverty and social exclusion, so that women in these countries become socially, politically and economically emancipated whilst respecting their culture and their traditions. It is also our role in the European Parliament to pay tribute to these women, encourage them and support them in their desperate struggle for democracy and human rights. Please note that I mean human rights in the fullest sense of the term!"@en1
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