Gender Equality: concrete action to fight multiple barriers to women’s educational and occupational mobility

"The adoption of my Report shows once again how the European Parliament is always at the forefront in defending the interests of citizens. The message from Strasbourg today is loud and clear: the re-launch of women’s employment can only be fulfilled through the full completion of the right to the freedom of movement”, said Licia Ronzulli MEP, author of the Report ‘Educational and occupational mobility of women in the EU’. The aim of the Report is to encourage the mobility of women in education and employment throughout the European Union.

"The jobs we want to create today have to have far-reaching European potential and personal and professional experiences must be taken into account. In the Report, we ask for very concrete actions such as: the promotion of flexible working hours; the mutual recognition of diplomas and professional qualifications; the improvement of child-care facilities and services for families”, explained Licia Ronzulli MEP.

"There are still too many barriers that women workers face when they move to another country: changing jobs also means fundamentally altering their lifestyle, and this, especially for a woman, is a very delicate choice. Only through the full involvement of all the stakeholders, governments, public authorities, unions, employers, up to the individual citizens, will we be able to create a more favourable environment and better conditions to support occupational mobility and enhance female talent", pointed out Licia Ronzulli MEP.

"I have been committed to ensuring that Member States can share new instruments to promote gender equality, combating all forms of exploitation. Women’s quotas, for example, can be an effective means to allow women access to workplaces otherwise exclusively occupied by men. The adoption of quotas for women can be a useful tool, but not the only one, to change an old mentality that still exists in many professional fields."

"The adoption of measures for the reconciliation of family and professional life should become the cornerstone policies for job growth for all Member States, raising the importance of the family as the central engine around which to develop the cultural and economic growth of our society."

"Today's vote should not be considered a point of arrival, but rather a new beginning, able to expand horizons and aimed at building a society that is more modern, dynamic and evolved. An effort by all parties will now be needed to ensure that the Report does not represent yet another example of good intentions destined to remain unfinished. If we want Europe to be credited as the undisputed leader in supporting the educational and professional mobility of women, we must be able to take tough and concrete decisions and abandon all positions and party interests", concluded Licia Ronzulli MEP.