European elections and feminism
Ahead of the 2024 European elections, Oxfam International has published the report A Feminist Europe? Taking stock of the 2019-2024 term ahead of the European Parliament elections, which provides an analysis of the main gender equality achievements of the outgoing European Commission and European Parliament, and a gender roadmap for the next EU leaders.
The aim of the publication is to ensure that gender equality issues are given priority on the European political agenda in the forthcoming years, thus counteracting the "backlash" trend caused by the numerous crises Europe has faced in recent years (the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate change), and the threat posed by the growing popularity of far-right and anti-gender movements.
According to the latest data from the World Economic Forum included in the report, Europe is the world's most advanced region in terms of gender equality, although full equality between men and women will not ne be achieved before 2082.
Summarising some of the main gender equality achievements in recent years and focusing on those areas where the gap still remains wide, the report proposes a roadmap for gender equality for the next members of the European Parliament.
In particular, the report's analysis focuses on three main areas: the work on gender equality carried out by the European institutions from 2019 to 2024, progress on gender equality within the European Union and, finally, a reflection on the EU's feminist external actions.
In order to continue pursuing gender equality, the newly-elected European Parliament and European Commission will have to take into account some recommendations, as outlined in the report: among others, the adoption of an intersectional feminist approach, and the investment, analysis and collection of gender-disaggregated data will be crucial.
