BRUSSELS – The same day that the United Nation celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW)– adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and, to date, ratified by 186 countries–the European Commission releases its annual report on equality between women and men. Equality between women and men is a fundamental right and a common principle of the European Union (EU). The report, which will be examined at the forthcoming EU Summit of March 2010, covers recent developments towards gender equality in the 27 EU Member States and presents future challenges and priorities.

Here are some thoughts on implications that are sure to surface.

The report shows that despite a generally positive trend towards a more equal society and labour market in the EU, progress in eliminating gender inequalities is slow. Although there are wide differences among EU Member States, gender gaps generally persist in employment rates, pay, working hours, positions of responsibility, share of care responsibilities and poverty. Considerable progress was made in women’s employment between 1998 and 2008, with a rise in the female employment rate of 7.1 percentage points to 59.1 percent – but this positive trend has been interrupted by the economic crisis.

While unemployment among women has risen less rapidly as a result of the crisis (from 7.4% in May 2008 to 9% in September 2009) than among men (from 6.4% to 9.3%), the two rates now are rising at the same rate, and women’s unemployment still is higher than men’s in 12 EU countries. This raises the risk of a delayed impact on women, as job losses spread from predominantly male sectors such as construction and manufacturing, to more gender-mixed sectors and the public sector, where more women are employed.

In the view of the European Commission, the EU executive agency, the recession represents both an opportunity and a potential threat for women’s employment and gender equality. Gender equality is rightly seen as a precondition for growth, employment and social cohesion, and should be considered part of the solution for exiting the crisis. At a recent conference, organised by the outgoing Swedish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers with the involvement of European policy makers, NGOs representatives and business leaders, it was shown that eliminating gender gaps in employment could lead to potential gains of between 15 and 45 percent of gross domestic product throughout the EU countries.

A collection of national best practices was presented at the conference. Among these, one initiative, launched with the support of the French association of HR managers, called for a voluntary chart on equality that, beyond regulatory requirements, lead to rewarding an independently certified label to those organizations that commit to the terms of the chart . Companies that have adhered to the chart and have been successfully certified for maintaining their label include major corporations such as Dell, General Electric, AXA, Société Générale, La Poste, Schneider Electric, and others.

Meanwhile, examining the broader context, many EU countries offer very little incentive for women to return to the labour market when they have been on parental leave. Inadequate parental insurance, deficient child care and elderly care and tax systems are often mentioned as the main causes of gender inequality. But EU countries have an incentive to address these concerns, considering those with highest female employment rates and more women in top jobs often are the stronger economic performers.

The full report and background documents are accessible on line at http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=660&furtherNews=yes