What, if anything, has the EU done for gender equality? Please give us your views

[RowanMumsnet]

Justine has been asked to speak at an event next week discussing issues around the EU and gender equality. It's part of a series of events marking 40 years since the UK joined what was then the European Community.

The questions the event aims to discuss are: What role has the EU played in shaping gender equality for women in Europe and in the UK? And what opportunities and dangers might arise in this field from any renegotiation and repatriation of powers by a UK government in the years to come?

As ever, we'd love to know what you think. What are your thoughts about the effects on women and gender equality of legislation and directives that have originated in the EU? Is it your impression that these measures have helped or hindered British women in their working and domestic lives? For example: measures like the Social Chapter are thought by some to have contributed to women's welfare by improving their working conditions and bargaining rights; others see them as having made it expensive and difficult for small businesses in a way that has impacted negatively on employees.

You can see some information on this page about specific European initiatives on gender over the years.

The panel debate will be held on March 7, and as well as having your views beforehand, you're welcome to use this thread or the Twitter hashtag #UK40 on the night to put questions to the panel members or relay your thoughts.

Thanks,
MNHQ

[Tee2072]

Anyone else read that # as UB40? Just me then?

Sorry, I'll go away and try to come back with something useful to say. I promise.

[TheFallenNinja]

Well, it's stiffed women on car insurance.

[msrisotto]

I came on to say the same thing as thefallenninja! It decided to defy fact and rule to increase womens car insurance. Thanks for that.

Apart from that, I can't think of anything they have done to positively impact gender equality.

[AliceWChild]

Was going to say the same. Remarkable how quickly the boys sorted out the car insurance anomaly but yet seem to be stalling on the old pay gap, women on boards, political representation of women etc. Funny that.

[PhyllisDoris]

Was/is gender equality one of the EU's aims then? They haven't publicised that very well.
I can't think of ANYTHING the EU has done to promote gender equality, other than the insurance debacle already mentioned.

How about you give us some examples of what the EU thinks it's done, and we can tell you how effective those initiatives have been to the man/woman on the street.

[nailak]

wasnt there that video about scientists in pink lab coats or something....

[drwitch]

Equal pay, before 1984 it only applied to men and women in the same job at the same firm, the equal value act (bought in to comply with EU legislation) means it now applies to men and women doing similar jobs, there was no leap to equality but successive test cases have I think reduced the pay gap within firms and within the public sector

[trockodile]

As far as I know it is because of EU legislation that pregnant women were allowed to remain in the Armed Forces and given good maternity packages (and were allowed to rejoin if they had been forced to leave). Not sure if it is relevant but they were also instrumental in allowing lesbian(and gay) servicemen/women to serve openly. Huge difference to the make up of the services.

[Crumblemum]

Poor JustineMumsnet, what has she done in a past life to deserve this? Seriously though, with current coalition looking ready to start trimming maternity and general workers' rights, I'm pleased the the EU makes this harder.

As an institution I'd say just as sexist as the next undemocratic, self important and over staffed bureaucracy.

[crochetcircle]

How about parental leave/transferable maternity leave. That was an eu directive that many countries implemented some time ago. Not long enough to say what the impact was, but for me it was a very important step to acknowledge that fathers should have the same protection as mothers if the couple decides the father will take time off in the first year of a child's life.

[gallicgirl]

Equal pay for equal work, pension rights, maternity leave, promotion of educationfor all...I'll think of more but its years since I did my degree.

[PhyllisDoris]

Crochet - that's something the EU has done for men, not women.

[mercibucket]

most of the legislation on maternity pay was driven by the eu. we would have naff all if it was down to uk politicians.

[Hullygully]

Apart fromn aqueducts?

[crochetcircle]

Phyllis, not really. Direct and indirect benefits fit women I think.

In our case it meant one parent could care for baby the whole first year, and the higher earner (me) could go back sooner.

More widely, if the first year's maternity allowance is split more often across society the there would be no difference for an employer between women and men, and jobs might change so that careers commonly feature gaps. Thus would help women - longer term obviously.

[josiejay]

Equal rights for part time workers, improved maternity leave, the right to paid time off for antenatal appointments, to name a few. Many of the employment rights that we have come to take for granted have come from the EU.

[KatieMiddleton]

EU directives and rulings around equality have had some positive impacts around employment. If it were not for European Directives I think I'm right in saying there would not have been political appetite for the shared leave after the birth of a baby that's due to come into force in 2015.

From memory EU rulings around pregnancy and maternity discrimination have managed to establish case law precedents in the UK that have enabled women to fight discrimination. I'll need to have a look for some specific examples.

The Equality Act 2010 came from an EU Directive and it gave women rights not to be discriminated against for pregnancy/maternity. In England and Wales those rights have given protection to women wanting to breastfeed their babies in public (Scotland already had legislation).

The Working Time Directive that became The Working Time Regulations 1998 (I think it was 98?!) and the subsequent amendments have given women taking maternity leave the right to acrue holiday during that leave.

But... it's late and I've still got baby brain so will need to check that out in the morning.

One other half thought: aren't there a greater proportion of women MEPs than MPs? Not sure MEPs are much cop but still, it's something.

[KatieMiddleton]

Some EU Directives that have not been taken up full in the UK but have elsewhere in Europe have led to working examples we benefit from indirectly in changing mindsets. When studying employment practices we spent a lot of time looking at what the Scandis are doing.

Not sure that's much help either but poor old Justine is going to need something!

[sis]

Sex Discrimination Act, Equal pay Act, Part-Time Workers Regulations, all as a direct result of the EU. Also the interpretation of the legislation by the European Courts have helped the cause of gender in the UK equality enormously. Also current protection for pregnany workers is a direct result of EU legislation.

[Meringue33]

Social programmes funded via EU eg the EQUAL programme and some Structural Fund programmes that had equality as a cross cutting theme. Sorry I can't link as on phone but there will be more info on web.

[sis]

As a woman, I am hugely grateful for the changes imposed on the UK by the EU in the area of equality as the courts and governments have shown a worrying reluctance to implement and apply any legislation to further the cause of gender equality in without being pushed to do so by the EU.

[sis]

There was a thread recently where people were saying how shocked they were that their mothers, as recently as the 1970s, were dismissed as soon as they announced their engagement/got married and for the slightly more fortunate, who were 'allowed' to work after marriage, they were dismissed as soon as the employer found out that they were pregnant. The huge changes in the workplace and society's expectations since this time is largely due to the equality legislation imposed by the EU.

[Xiaoxiong]

Gender diversity pages from the EU here and full list of documents, reports and legislation here.

Recent mandatory actions include:

• action plan on European company law and corporate governance, including a proposed directive which would force companies to increase the proportion of women on boards after they found that voluntary actions did absolutely nothing to improve gender equality (Dec 2012)
  
• gender equality strategy (series of actions based around five priorities: the economy and labour market, equal pay, equality in senior positions, tackling gender violence, promoting equality beyond the EU) (Sept 2010)

[Xiaoxiong]

Oh duh you've got that first link already.

Anyway I think the main advantage is their willingness to use directives to push this forward rather than relying on voluntary pledges. The most recent directive for women on boards being just one example.

[RedToothBrush]

I think its actually done quite a lot, but I don't think its always terribly well publicised and not always immediately obvious what impact even small things can have and how they can benefit us.

In general, the Human Rights Act does cover quite a bit in terms of discrimination and was a direct result of the EU. It gets a great deal of stick for being used to aid groups like terrorists but it actually does a great deal to help women.

For example in terms of getting women rights over their own body, (which I do feel falls under gender equality) you could look at Ternovszky vs Hungary where a mother took her country to the European court of human rights as its laws compromised her desire to birth at home because the rules were ambiguous and could have left her midwife facing legal action. The Court, ruled in her favour and decided that meaningful choice in childbirth is a human rights issue. It would not have been possible without the EU.

This might not mean anything directly in this country at present as we don't have the same issue that existed in Hungry, but it does in effect protect homebirths in the UK and it does create precedence in law so that if someone were to have an issue that might be similar or related they would be able to see they had a potential case to answer. In which case we could use EU law for that too.

And I do I think that its not just about what happens to women in this country, but also to women in the rest of Europe. Being part of Europe might bring us benefits, but I also thinks it helps us to influence decisions elsewhere in Europe which is of benefit to other women. Its not necessarily just about what we get out of it, but also about what we can offer to other women.

It also means that we are all freer and more able to work in Europe and will face less discrimination in other countries should we choose to move there and not be so disadvantaged when compared to men who choose to work abroad.

I think a lot of changes are subtule and small, so have gone past relatively unnoticed but as a cumulative effect, they are in fact huge.