Gender equality at home and work:uthopia or our future?

Human rights are "basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of

nationality

sexage national or ethnic origin racereligionlanguage or other status“ (UN)

SEX- refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.

GENDER- refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women.

GENDER EQUALITY?

Gender equality means that women and men have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and for contributing to, and benefiting from, economic, social, cultural and political development.

Gender equality is therefore the equal valuing by society of the similarities and the differences of men and women, and the roles they play. It is based on women and men being full partners in their home, their community and their society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-UGCDSXpww

Defrenne vs Sabena Court case in 1975, Gabrielle Defrenne

vs Sabena resulted in legistlation- article 141 EC was invoked which stated

"Each Member State shall ensure that the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value is applied".

EU legistlation about GE Equal Pay Directive – 1975, Equal Treatment Directive – 1976, Social Security Directive – 1979, Occupational Social Security Directive – 1986, Self-employment Directive – 1986, Pregnant Workers Directive – 1992, Parental Leave Directive – 1996, Burden of Proof Directive – 1997, Equal Treatment in Employment Directive –

2002 Recast

Directive Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation – 2006

SO, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE:

higher unemployment among women gender pay-gap (appr. 30% in Estonia,

average 17,8% in EU) horizontal and vertical segregation in

labour market “glass cealing”

less women in entrepreneurship, less women represented in high end

jobs and politics, facing difficulties in combining parental

duties with career, quality education but lower level jobs for

women, sexual harassment at workplace

WHY GENDER EQUALITY?