Speech by Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence At Ireland’s EU Presidency Conference Women’s Economic Engagement and the Europe 2020 Agenda 29 April 2013Dear guests
I am delighted that so many of you have travelled to Ireland and to Dublin
to take part in this important Conference. Minister Lynch already alluded
to the changes which have come about for women in Irish society and the
contribution which membership of the European Union made to equality and
particularly gender equality in Ireland.
This year we mark the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s membership. This is
our seventh Presidency. We, in Ireland like to believe that we have always
worked as good Europeans, and we have tried continuously to play an active
role across all of the EU institutions. Irish colleagues, male and female,
have occupied some of the top positions in the European institutions.
At a national level, we have had two women Presidents in recent times, who
together served for 21 years. In my own field of justice, the three most
senior positions of Chief Justice, Attorney General and Director of Public
Prosecutions are all held currently by outstanding women. Women’s labour
market participation here in Ireland had reached the Lisbon target prior to
the economic downturn in 2008. Population growth and the economic downturn
mean that the Europe 2020 employment targets are now more challenging for
us.
We know that this situation is replicated in many Member States. We are
here to discuss how we can look to the future and ensure Europe’s economic
growth and competitiveness by collaborating to encourage the full
participation of women in the labour market.
The achievement of de facto gender equality is complex and goes far beyond
a body of law. We need to promote awareness and change attitudes. Gender
equality is a human and democratic right. But, as is now being
acknowledged more and more by politicians and policy-makers, by economists
and academics, it is also a prerequisite for economic growth, prosperity
and social inclusion.
When, nearly twenty years ago, the women of the world gathered in Beijing
for the Fourth World Conference of Women they discussed a wide range of
issues. Some were directly related to human rights, but the outcome
document from that Conference, the Beijing Platform for Action, identified
twelve areas of concern for women globally. The Beijing Platform is still
regarded by all UN Member States as the blueprint for the advancement of
gender equality. The key theme of Beijing is, of course, “the advancement
of women in all fields of society and in all roles”.
A number of the Beijing areas of concern are interlinked and link with our
theme here today. Some link to a basic human right – poverty, education
etc. - and then develop the theme so that it also becomes an economic issue
or a social inclusion issue, which weave together into a global plan.
To show you my perception of these inter-linkages, I am going to ask that
you reflect on just five of these critical areas of concern from Beijing:
· Women and poverty
· Education and training of women
· Women and the economy
· Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women and
· Women and the media
The International Labour Organisation talks about “good jobs” and “better
jobs”. In most, if not all Member States, young women have achieved higher
standards in education than young men, which should, but does not always,
enable women to have better jobs, and by implication, which should but does
not always enable them to avoid poverty, particularly in their older years.
Women having jobs, and especially “better jobs”, enables them
· to be more economically productive,
· to have an increased standard of living,
· to contribute more as taxpayers,
· to offer a high standard of education to their children and
· to build up pension entitlements to avoid the risk of poverty in
their older years.
These women
· increase their country’s economic output and its tax take,
· foster the economic prosperity of the next generation and
· reduce the risk of their dependency on the State in their older
years.
I am sure you will agree that this is a “win-win” situation for women, for
the economy and for society.
This potential “win-win” situation is the reason why the Irish Presidency
has chosen the topic of the Economic Engagement of Women for our Presidency
conference. We believe that the time is ripe to discuss the linkages
between gender equality and employment and are delighted that the European
Commission endorsed this view and has joined the Irish Presidency in
funding this Conference.
We know that, across the European Union, over 46 million women of working
age are outside the labour market. Some may have interrupted their careers
to have children – an equally important role, both for the economic and
social well being of our Union. However, many opt, for a diversity of
reasons, not to return to the labour market. This decision impacts on
their long term economic independence and may lead to poverty in their
older years, if they have not made adequate pension provision.
I mentioned two other Beijing areas of concern previously. These are
“institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women” and “women and the
media”. These institutional mechanisms begin at the highest levels and cut
across all sectors.
To foster the advancement of women, it is therefore essential that Member
State governments as policy makers recognise their role in fostering gender
equality. More importantly, it is essential that we recognise the
existence of these linkages between gender equality, economic growth and
social inclusion and actively foster policies which cross over all three
areas.
Member States must ensure that employment policies and gender equality
policies are not developed in isolation but in a coherent manner to enhance
both decisions and outcomes.
I am please to hear that the Lithuanian Presidency intends to look further
at the broader range of institutional mechanisms for the advancement of
women in the context of the Beijing Platform. These mechanisms include
Governments, their executive, the national equality bodies and civil
society.
A further strand of work linking the Beijing themes, our Irish Presidency
and this conference is the area of concern on “women and the media”. The
media can be very influential in promoting public awareness and therefore
can play a central role in fostering gender equality and the advancement of
women.
You may be aware that my Department has collaborated with the European
Gender Institute on a study of women in decision-making roles in the media
and will present Council
Conclusions for agreement by EU Ministers in June.
I am mindful of just two articles I have seen in the last fortnight in the
Irish media. One of our national newspapers ran an article about steps
which can be taken to encourage girls into IT. On the same day, another of
our national papers ran an article with a personal story encouraging women
to move out of abusive relationships.
These are just random examples but they can have a massive influence on
personal lives and on national issues. The media help to form public
opinion and can play a central role in eliminating the stereotypes which
impact on women in so many ways.
These stereotypes remain as one of the central challenges to the
achievement of de facto gender equality in the work place and in
decision-making at all levels. Accordingly, the persistence of stereotypes
can prevent women from achieving their optimal roles in employment and this
of course impacts on their productive output and by extension, on economic
growth. I urge the media present to continue to play this constructive
role in relation to the advancement of gender equality and the removal of
stereotypes.
I would like to welcome you all to Dublin Castle. I would like to extend a
particular welcome to Minister Algimanta Padebinskiene the Minister for
Social Security and Labour from Lithuania and to the many speakers who have
kindly agreed to share their views with us all over the course of the next
day and a half.
I hope that the conference programme we have compiled, and the dialogue
sparked by the contributions of our speakers, will energise the work on
linkages between gender equality, employment and economic growth in the
context of the Europe 2020 Strategy – as I mentioned before - a “win – win”
for women, their families and our national and EU economy.
I hope that you both enjoy and profit from your short time in Dublin.
Thank you for coming and thank you, in advance, for your active
participation, which is so important if this Irish Presidency Conference on
Gender Equality and Employment is to be a real success.
Thank you.