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European Women’s Lobby

• Established in 1990• Membership based women’s organisation from 28 countries• 4000 members - largest umbrella organisations of women’s

associations in the European Union (EU) • Lobbies European institutions: Commission, Parliament,

Council• Promotes women’s rights and equality between women and men • Intervenes different areas of policy: economic and social justice,

decision-making, violence against women, women’s diversity.

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Why a European Women’s Lobby?

• Women still do about 2/3 of the housework, even if they also have a job outside the house;

• Women earn only 76% of men’s gross hourly pay (EU average) for the same job

• Men hold 76% of parliamentary seats in the EU;• It is estimated that one woman in five in Europe has

been subjected to some form of violence. Women are most likely to fall victim to violence at home.

• In the media (study conducted in 70 countries), only 18% of news stories quote women.

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Why a European Women’s Lobby?

The scope of the European Union’s activities are extending and affect areas with a direct impact on women’s daily lives (gender mainstreaming)

It had become urgent for women and their organisations to participate in the programmes established by the Union and to get acquainted with European legislation. Women need to be better informed about the European gender equality legislation so that they can make use of it (gender specific)

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EWL Structure

EWL Member organisations in Europe National Co-ordinations of women’s NGOs

European Member organisations

EWL General Assembly

(100 delegates)

EWL Board of Administration(35 elected members)

EWL Executive Committee (7)

1 President, 3 Vice Pres., 1 Treasurer, 2 members

EWL Secretariat (Brussels)

EWL Secretary General EWL staff

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The EWL Mission

• To ensure gender equality in the EU

• To promote the empowerment of all women

• To strengthen women’s social and economic rights 

• To combat all forms of violence against women and to ensure women’s human rights

• To support women’s diversity: take into account the needs and perspectives of different groups of women and girls, make them more visible

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EWL Budget

• For the fiscal year of 2007, the EWL core budget was 945,050 Є

• EWL receives 80% of this amount as a grant from the European Community

• Remaining 20% is made up of membership fees and other independent sources of funding

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External Liaison and Representation: EU Institutions

• European Commission• Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for

Women and Men• The Council of the European Union• The European Parliament• The Economic and Social Committee and the

Committee of the Regions• The Council of Europe

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External Liaison and Representation: International and Civil Society

• United Nations: Consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council

• European Platform of Social NGOs: Member at the Platform of European Social NGOs

• Act4Europe: Independant member of the Civil Society Contact Group

• Council of Europe: Consultative status with the Council of Europe

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Areas of work of EWL• Women in decision-

making• Women’s diversity• Women’s rights at

international level• European gender equality policies

• Violence against women

• Women’s human rights

• Economic and social justice for women

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Influencing EU policy-making

EWL Policy positions:

Work Programme Member organisations adopted at the General Assembly

Position Papers adopted by the Board of Administration

Urgent statements agreed by the Executive Committee

Members of European Parliament

European Commission services

Member States‘ Ministers

Press releases

Dissemination of Position papers

Meetings

Seminars

Letters

Campaigns

Lobbying actions:

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EWL Information Tools

• Monthly Newsflash

• Publications

• Position Papers and Statements

• Requests for information and group visits

• Mailing lists

• Posters and postcards

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Gender mainstreaming

• A strategy that turns attention to the systems and structures that create and maintain inequalities between women and men and actively seeks to make a difference

• EWL works towards the integration of a gender perspective in all areas of policy of the European Institutions so as to promote the effective implementation of gender mainstreaming.

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Why Gender Mainstream Children’s issues?

  Life-cycle approach: girls-women; boys-men.Address structural inequalities early stages of lifeRecognise policy impact –girls and boys respectivelyUnderstand different needs – hidden in « children »Forward looking strategies at early age/stage of lifeProvide negotiation skills, especially to girls, for lifeBreak gender stereotypesGender equality – « natural » for future generations

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GIRLS and WOMEN – A CONTINUUM

• Three issues relative to “children” – present in patterns of women’s lives:

• POVERTY

• VIOLENCE

• DECISION-MAKING /PARTICIPATION

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Example - Poverty

• Women all ages – more insecure life situation than men• 80-95% single parent households – headed by women• Lack individual social protection – dependent on “family

unit”• Less access to economic resources• Male-breadwinner model of employment and related social

protection systems (pensions)• Lack of child care and quality affordable services for

dependent family members (special needs, disabled, elderly..)

• Unequal share in family tasks• Push factor – trafficking for sexual exploitation

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Example: Violence - Asylum is not gender neutral

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Have we got the balance right

Back to Postcard Campaigns

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Model Letter – Decision-making

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• FAX/EMAIL• To: ___________________________________, Head of (name of political party)_________________• From: _______________________________• Date: ___________________• Dear Madam, Sir,• RE: Candidates’ lists for the 2004 European elections and women’s representation• I am joining the campaign initiated by the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) as a concerned citizen to urge

you to bring the power of your office to bear, so that candidates’ lists for the 2004 European elections fully reflect the fact that women make up more than 50% of the European population.

• At the beginning of the XXI Century, we women and European citizens cannot tolerate, that formal commitments on equal participation of women and men made by Member States and the highest institutions of the European Union on the equal participation of women and men in decision-making do not translate into concrete actions.

• We demand the effective realisation of the fundamental right to equality in the decision making process. We demand that the principle of parity democracy be reflected in your candidates’ lists for the European elections in June 2004.

• EWL has launched this campaign in solidarity in all current and future EU Member States in order to make sure that he first ever democratically elected institution of the enlarged European Union is fully representative of its citizens.

• Yours sincerely,

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EU Strategy rights of the child

Objectives

•Action plan child poverty•Assessment causes/scope barriers to human rights•Chid-friendly communication•Institutional issues – European Commission

Gender mainstreaming•Impact assessment girls – boys•What strategies are required to address these?•Life-cycle approach •What resources are required?•Who takes responsibility?•How will this be shared?•Express communication in girl/boy language

•Ask questions about their own perception of gender

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www.womenlobby.org