The European Parliament rejects a report on gender equality

The text, presented by the Portuguese MEP Zuber (GUE), highlighted the devastating effects of the austerity policies on female employment rate. EPP: “Instrumental approach,” Socialists: “Shameful and superficial vote.”

From our correspondent in Strasbourg Letizia Pascale

It was just few days ago: 8 March, International Women’s Day. Calls for ending discriminations, gender-targeted violence, wage inequality between men and women. Now the party is over: good intentions are still just intentions. The Parliament has rejected the report prepared by the Portuguese MEP Inês Cristina Zuber (GUE) by 298 votes (289 in favour, 87 abstained) on the “Equality between women and men in the European Union.”

The text, an own-initiative report, contained a series of observations on gender equality and on the protection of women’s rights on social, family and job sectors: it underlined the importance of being committed to reach targets such as wage equality between men and women, social security, stopping violence and gender-targeted stereotypes. It was also focused (and that was one of the most troubled entries) on sexual health, recommending Member States to “safeguard women’s right to free, high-quality public gynaecological and obstetric healthcare services and to sexual and reproductive health in general, including the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy.”

The front against the Report was especially driven, though, by the focus on the devastating effects of austerity measures on gender equality. “Lots of women, especially in the European periphery, are suffering for strong discriminations and for the uncertainty of temporary work,” said Rapporteur Zuber before the vote. “Public services and benefits are inadequate if the target is guaranteeing women to live with dignity,” she added, highlighting that women still work 59 days more than men do, on average, to get the same salary. An “ideological” approach, which was not appreciated very much – especially on right-wing parties. “Since the beginning, the Left focused its report on negative effects of austerity and on their consequences on jobs and public services, leaving the basic topic – gender equality in our continent – apart,” said Anne Delvaux (EPP).

Yet, the explanation was not enough to settle the dust: “This is a disgrace. The Parliament has sent a shameful message,” denounced Zuber, adding that MEPs showed “they do not care about women rights, not even in theory.” Socialist MEPs talk about a “shameful” and “superficial” vote too: it “not only insults and attacks not only women, but also the entire society, its values and the hearth of humankind.” Even Greens and Liberal-Democrats were split for the vote, and they accounted numerous abstained.