The capital of Europe’s got 99 problems and gender is one of them

EU Panel Watch
Sep 4, 2018 · 6 min read

At a time when so many issues are dividing European leaders, the European Union political bubble seems to agree on one thing: the importance of advancing women’s equal representation. What elite institutions in Brussels seem to struggle with is how to make it happen.

Politico Europe hit the nail on the head when they reported that “Brussels finally seems to be waking up to its gender problem”. It seems that suddenly everyone in the capital of Europe is jumping on the ‘gender equality train’, from European Commissioners to political think tanks.

When you walk through the European Parliament’s maze of corridors you see hundreds of well-meaning posters and banners pushing for positive social change. But the question on my mind is, is it even possible to move from lofty promises to effective equality when so much power is concentrated in one location and in the hands of a few (mostly older, white, and male) individuals?

Tweet by Natasha Bertaud, Coordinating Spokesperson for Activities of EC President Juncker, on 10 July 2018.

Here’s a breakdown of what I believe are key shortcomings when it comes to enacting change from the bureaucratic heart of the European continent.

1. Brussels prioritises empowerment, but ignores structural causes for women’s inequality

You can see this tendency with hashtags like #NoWomenNoPanel and #Digital4Her that are popping up on Twitter timelines of European policy buffs. I can concede that these campaigns are an important institutional push for transforming male-dominated sectors.

But if we look deeper, we see that, for example, the European Commission’s strategy for bringing more women into the European digital sector relies solely on encouraging and empowering women and girls to choose ICT studies and later jobs. This remedy implies that women simply never considered a career in tech before, and all that is needed to change the gender imbalance is some good ol’ guidance from the European political establishment.

Screen print of an invitation to a typical policy event in Brussels with a focus on women’s empowerment from the capacity4dev.eu website.

But empowerment measures can only go so far if they ignore the darker side of the equation. We know that wage and promotion gaps, alongside a culture of sexual harassment and bro culture, are pushing qualified women out of careers in a wide array of sectors. This shouldn’t come as a surprise after a year of #MeToo revelations from women at Uber, Tesla, Google, and Amazon.

Empowerment measures — like coding schools or mentorship programs — need to be complimented with rigorous analysis of root causes for exclusion and inequality, as well as policies that directly address them.

2. Brussels fails to understand diversity beyond gender parity

Even though ‘gender’ seems to be the new gold standard in the capital of Europe, many organisations and firms are only comfortable engaging with inequality if it comes with neutral terminology and leaves men out of it. I think that’s a pity.

Cover of the Women active in the ICT sector report (2013)

For example, a study commissioned by the European Commission in 2013 irresponsibly asserted that because feminism is perceived to arouse too many negative reactions, a more neutral term like “diversity” should be used when encouraging men to participate in conversations about eradicating gender gaps in the workplace. I find this conclusion to be outrageously misplaced and even dangerous, especially since the report shaped the European Commission’s policy in this area.

Not only does the report recommend institutions to use gender-neutral approaches (so as not to offend men), it also distorts the very concept of diversity by equating it with gender parity only, failing to mention other marginalised groups.

But we know that polite gender-neutral and colour-blind approaches don’t work, because they exclude the realities of gender/sexual minorities, youth, and people with disabilities — including women from these groups — in discussions about workplace equality.

3. It doesn’t listen or give credit to feminist grassroots efforts

Leading European think tanks and foundations publish a wide assortment of reports, but when it comes to gender equality issues, they regularly fail to give credit where credit is due, and so much of women’s work continues to go unrecognised, not to mention unpaid or underpaid.

For example, I recently read a report by a popular European research centre about the integration of migrant women. This report did not involve, consult or mention migrant women’s advocacy, research and charity organisations that work in the field. This is detrimental because many feminist groups work with small budgets and little to no institutional support.

I can’t help but wonder, why are women’s voices and contributions excluded and devalued, while reports are being written about us?

4. Brussels needs to address sexual misconduct

About a year ago, as the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum on the other side of the Atlantic, Politico Europe collected anonymous submissions from readers and reported that sexual harassment is “Brussels’ worst-kept secret”.

I completely agree with Joanna Maycock, Secretary General of European Women’s Lobby, when she says that, “There’s no woman in Brussels that hasn’t experienced sexist attitudes and behaviour.”

As a result of concentrated and unchecked power at the very highest levels in Europe, sexism and sexual misconduct remains pervasive and deeply entrenched in the work cultures of the European institutions and beyond.

Only 580 (out of 751) members of the European Parliament voted in favour of the resolution calling for mandatory training of staff and members on sexual harassment. Time will tell how effective this measure will be and how many members of the European Parliament will actually attend these trainings.

I would like to see similar commitments at other institutions like the European Commission, the European Council, European Central Bank, European Investment Bank and Committee of the Regions, as well as organisations like NATO and United Nations.

5. Brussels needs to go beyond opportunism

Everyone in Brussels is talking about ‘gender’, because everyone knows that it brings some corporate legitimacy and prestige. I would like to think that Brussels’ interest in feminism/gender equality is not about political or corporate opportunism, but a genuine interest in advancing the rights of all girls and women.

Print screen from Elsevier’s website showing a panel debate in Brussels on gender equality with two male speakers.

However, it’s hard to stay positive — as EU Panel Watch — when we hear about the importance of equal representation but at the same time report on all-white and all-male panels almost every day. It tells us that women are still not welcome on the public stage, nor are we missed when we are not there.

I would like the European institutions, and all entities that orbit them, to consult, involve and invest in women — and not just women who are already relatively successful in the world of European public policy, but also those who are most likely to lose out when only cosmetic remedies are adopted.


Iva Petkovic is part of the EU Panel Watch team. She has been working for human rights non-profits in Brussels for almost five years, and is passionate about gender equality, minority rights, cultural diversity, and social justice.


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