On 13-14 November, Equinet organised a seminar for its members on the issue of (lack of) career progress for women. It was cohosted by the Estonian Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner.
Background
Equinet and equality bodies have had a strong focus on the discrimination women face on the labour market, including issues around harassment and sexual harassment, equal pay, and work-life balance. There are a number of factors contributing to the discrimination women face in seeking access to career progress on an equal footing with their male peers. European level action has focused on work-life balance and women in decision-making, including women on boards. The Equinet Working Group on Gender Equality has highlighted the matter of career progress as an emerging area where legal and policy action are challenging.
Equinet Seminar
This Equinet seminar aimed to provide an introduction to the reasons behind women’s lack of career progress compared to their male peers, as well as to discuss the consequences of this gender gap on the labour market. To assist those seeking to promote gender equality in career progress, arguments supporting the utility of equal opportunities in career progress were discussed, as well as good practice examples where the inequality experienced by women throughout the course of their working lives has been effectively addressed. The legal perspective was addressed by looking at tools that can be used to address discrimination women may face in access to promotions and career progress.
OPENING SESSION
- Welcome and opening – Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Chair of the Equinet Executive Board and Deputy Ombudswoman of Croatia
- Welcome by co-host – Mari-Ann Lumeste, Counsellor to the Estonian Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner
- The glass ceiling in a digital world – Linnar Viik, Programme Director, eGovernance Academy – Watch this keynote speech here.
SESSION 1 – Supporting women’s career progress
Chair: Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Chair of the Equinet Executive Board and Deputy Ombudswoman of Croatia
- Obstacles to women’s career progress – Erika Kispeter, Research Fellow, Warwick Institute for Employment Research
- Designing policies to further women’s career progress – Barbara Helfferich, Advisor, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
- European Commission’s package on Work-Life Balance – Katrin Höövelson, Senior Economic Expert, European Commission Representation in Tallinn
WORKSHOP 1: How can equality bodies support women’s career progress?
- Project “Working Forward” – Anna Wilthew, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Great Britain
- Gender equality in public sector employment – Martina Strunjak, legal advisor, Croatian Gender Equality Ombudswoman
- Working with trade unions to support women’s career progress – Barbara Helfferich, ETUC
SESSION 2: Promoting women’s career progress: legal and policy tools
Chair: Mari-Ann Lumeste, Estonian Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner
- Equality duties in Europe and women’s career progress – Niall Crowley, Independent expert
- Transparency and open processes supporting gender equality – Katrin Höövelson, Senior Economic Expert, European Commission Representation
- Active measures and women’s career progress – Arja Lehto, Equality Ombudsman, Sweden
WORKSHOP 2: Working with duty bearers
- Gender mainstreaming and other enabling measures – Niall Crowley, Independent expert
- Working with digital platforms to promote gender equality – Linnar Viik, Programme Director, eGovernance Academy
SESSION 3: Tools to avoid unlawful gender bias in career progress
SESSION 4: Panel Debate: How effective are our tools?
Chair Session 3: Nathalie Schlenzka, Co-moderator of Equinet Working Group on Gender Equality, Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, Germany
Chair Session 4: Anne Gaspard, Equinet Executive Director
- Quotas and other enabling measures – Morten Huse, Professor, Norwegian Business School
- Using data to promote equality in women’s career progress – Barbara Limanowska, researcher, European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)
- Using gender neutral procedures – Charlotte Kastner, Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA), Germany
- Suing for life-long damages in sex discrimination cases? – Anu Laas, Estonian gender equality expert for the European Network of Legal Experts
Photos
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| Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Career Progress for Women, Tallinn, 13-14 November 2017 |