Discrimination of women during the financial crisis

The economic crisis is affecting large sectors of the population in many Member States.

In this context, it has long been ignored that women end up saddled with a disproportionate burden.

Not only are women more significantly affected by job losses, their burden also takes the form of added care obligations imposed by cuts in public spending on care facilities.

At the same time, women more often find themselves in part-time or precarious employment.

The crisis is further exacerbating this problem.

The Greens believe that the EU's response must be to mainstream gender issues at all policy levels.

More women should be fully integrated into the labour market, especially in decision-making positions, and care facilities should be available and accessible.

The Commission and Member States in the Council should integrate a chapter on gender into the employment and macro-economic guidelines and the EU 2020 Strategy.

They should also introduce gender budgeting in all policies.

The Greens succeeded in placing these gender aspects of the economic crisis on the EU's agenda.

The Greens stressed that macroeconomic policies are predominantly associated with an increase in the gender segregation of labour, destabilisation of women's employment though subcontracting, increases in the gender pay gap, reduction in women's access to health and education, and deepening of the feminisation of poverty.