Gender equality on labour markets: social partners consolidate their efforts to close the remaining gaps

Brussels, 19/11/2007

This new report is a further step to make the numerous initiatives of social partners on gender equality more visible and to encourage the exchange of good practices across Europe. It follows on and complements a first report issued in January 2007 evaluating the first year of implementation of the Framework of Actions, which was presented at the occasion of the launch of the European Year for Equal Opportunities 2007.

This year again many actions have been taken by social partners such as:
- addressing gender equality in collective agreements,
- discussions with public authorities on facilities for work life balance,
- the design of new gender equality policies,
- or the development of projects tackling gender gaps.

Compared to last year, the focus of social partners’ work has been less on the dissemination of the Framework of Actions itself and more on finding practical solutions to the problems faced by workers and companies on the ground. In this context, facilitating work life balance has been again, like last year, the highest priority on the agenda of social partners in 2007, but interesting initiatives have also been realised on other priority areas such as the promotion of women’s careers, the fight against gender stereotypes in schools and at work, and equal pay.

European social partners will officially present these new results at the closing conference of the “European Year of Equal Opportunities for All” in Lisbon on 19 and 20 November 2007.

For more information please contact:

Maria Fernanda Fau, BUSINESSEUROPE Tel.:+32(0)2 237 65 62 www.businesseurope.eu

Francesco Longu, UEAPME Tel.:+32(0)2 230 75 99
www.ueapme.com

Emmanuelle Hardy, CEEP Tel.:+32(0)2 229 21 54
www.ceep.eu

Patricia Grillo, ETUC Tel.: +32(0)2 224 04 30 www.etuc.org