*Update 25.09.2024 check out the Opinion from 50+ civil society organisations on the new European Commission [1] and Equality ‘downgrade’ in European Commission dismays rights groups [2]*
Original article: Here we go again, beautiful words that are forgotten at the first hurdle. On the occasion of the naming of the unbalanced new college of Commissioners and in light of the observation that Gender equality is still [at best] 60 years away [3], Generation 2004 looks back at the declarations the president has made about the changes she identified as necessary, the changes she promised to implement, the fair share she demanded not so long ago…
A 2024 Commission of 27 with only 11 women: what happened?
Candidate Ursula von der Leyen made a powerful promise in her Opening Statement in the European Parliament Plenary Session [4] in July 2019:
‘I will ensure full gender equality in my College of Commissioners. If Member States do not propose enough female Commissioners, I will not hesitate to ask for new names. Since 1958 there have been 183 Commissioners. Only 35 were women. That is less than 20%. We represent half of our population. We want our fair share.’
This same idea is present in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and was repeated in the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 [5]:
‘In all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women.’ (Article 8, TFEU)
e shy about being proud of where we are or ambitious about where we want to go.” (President Ursula von der Leyen. Political Guidelines)
Unfortunately, today this is shown to be just words. We are told that it was hard work even to get the 11 women commissioners out of 27. What happened to the fair share?
‘As you will see, we now have 11 women in the College I propose today. That is 40%. When I received the first set of nominations and candidates, we were on track for around 22% women and 78% men. That was unacceptable. So I worked with the Member States and we were able to improve the balance to 40% women and 60% men.’(Ursula von der Leyen [6], 17.09.2024)
The stereotype of managers and commissioners as men and secretaries and clerks as women still persists, making it more than simply unconscious bias [7].
‘Gender segregation narrows life choices, education and employment options, leads to unequal pay, further reinforces gender stereotypes and limits access to certain jobs while also perpetuating unequal gender power relations in the public and private spheres.‘ (European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), 2018, Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States [8])
Equality is something to be done year round [9], not something to showcase at events and then shelve. Gains on this front can be incredibly vulnerable [10], with world events slowing and even reversing them everywhere, meaning that the 60-year estimate above could easily slide beyond 2084 and to the 2154 estimate of the World Economic Forum[1]. Even the EU’s own European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) sounds more than a little exasperated in its No more excuses to ignore gender concerns [11] guide.
Generation 2004 is convinced that gender equality should be a reality at all levels and in all spheres. This cannot and should not be too much to ask for in the 21st century.
If you appreciate our work, please consider becoming a member of Generation 2004 [12].
[1] World Economic Forum [13]
‘Gender parity globally has recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, but the pace of change has stagnated as converging crises slow progress … The year of expected parity therefore remains the same as in the 2022 edition: 2154.Closing the overall gender gap will require 131 years. At the current rate of progress, it will take 169 years for economic parity and 162 years for political parity.’