EU gender strategy will struggle to close rising gaps

Significance

Her Commission is making a concerted push to advance gender equality. To that end, it has brought forward an integral element of its 2020 Gender Equality Strategy (GES): a draft directive on equal pay and pay transparency.

Impacts

• Women’s unemployment will be hard to reduce since sectors such as hospitality and tourism will take years to recover.
• Post-pandemic fiscal austerity would cloud women’s economic prospects if cuts affect child and social care spending.
• Flexible working would facilitate women’s return to full-time or part-time work.