Speech at the Women’s Economic Engagement & the Europe 2020 Agenda

Dear 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.