Gender equality and education - background document for ...



Background document 3: Gender Equality in Education19th Experts’ Forum meetingGender equality in education This background document provides an outline of EIGE’s current work in the area of gender equality and education and offers some ideas for future engagement if EIGE’s Experts’ Forum considers it adding value to the EU in general and to the individual Member States and if the Management Board adopts it as new area of work in the future.Current projectsThis year EIGE is working on three education-related projects:Gender related challenges in European education systems is a study requested by the European Commission and being conducted in close cooperation with the Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and the EU Social Partners. It aims to provide policy and decision makers with guidelines and recommendations on how to strengthen the gender relevance of European education systems. The study reviews challenges within primary, secondary and post-secondary education levels, as well as - within vocational education training (VET) and adult learning. Tertiary education level is explored with a limited focus on education (i.e. training of future teachers) of gender equality and anti-discrimination. Two policy steering documents provided a mandate to the Commission/EIGE’s work on this topic: the 2015 Paris Declaration on “Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education” and the 2015 Joint Report on progress in the implementation of the Education and Training 2020 strategic framework (ET2020). By July and December 2017 respectively, the study will provide a set of 28 country reports as well as an EU level synthesis report. Diverse national gender related challenges in education systems are to be discussed: gender-driven educational performance patterns (i.e. gender gaps in achievement levels; early school leaving); gender and teaching profession (i.e. feminization of the teaching profession; gender pay gap); gender based violence at school; fostering gender equality through education (i.e. gender stereotypes and sexism in education, gender equality as an element of school curricula, gender equality education of teachers); gender aspects of immigration and education, etc. Throughout the study, specific attention is devoted to an identification of the most disadvantaged groups in terms of access to education and in terms of educational outcomes as well as on the features of the country’s education system that might contribute to and/or perpetuate gender related inequalities. The study provided evidence is crucial to support emerging national and EU level initiatives, including work being done in order to reach objectives of Paris declaration and ET2020 – as outlined above. Furthermore, the European Pillar of Social rights explicitly extended the prohibition of discrimination based on gender to the area of education, which was not covered by the current acquis. The Commission has also indicated to continue its efforts to ensure the adoption of the proposed new Equal Treatment Directive to expand protection against discrimination in a number of areas and of vulnerable, including issues in relation to education. It must also be noted here that the current study mapping gender related challenges in education systems is already foreseen (SPD 2017-2019) to provide necessary basis for EIGE’s follow up work on gender related challenges in education, with a specific focus on migrant population. To further support the Member States in implementing the Paris Declaration, EIGE will carry out a further study examining current approaches to the integration of people from migrant backgrounds into existing education settings. This study will be launched in June. Upscaling skills of women and men in EU labour market is a research note prepared for the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in line with EIGE’s SPD 2016-2018 outlined work on monitoring the Beijing Platform for Action and supporting Presidencies of the Council of the EU. The study explored the potential for upscaling skills among women and men in the EU labour market. A gender perspective highlighted important differences between low-qualified women and men in their employability, situation in the labour market and access to job-related training. An intersectional perspective revealed factors that exacerbate vulnerabilities of certain groups of people in access to the quality employment and upscaling the skills.The research found that throughout their life-course women are more likely to work fewer hours, in low-paid and insecure jobs. Due to the structural inequalities and persisting gender stereotypes, low-qualified women in particular face many challenges: half of them are out of the labour market compared to 27?% of men. Over 6 million low-qualified women and 2 million low-qualified men have never had a job and the majority were not searching for paid employment. Furthermore, unless the underlying issues, including those on gender related aspects, are addressed today – a similar untapped pool of labour force will be a challenge for future economies too. In the light of ageing European societies, the status quo needs urgent attention. The study already provided basis for the Council 20.02.2017 adopted conclusions on Enhancing the skills of women and men in the EU labour market. It also issues critical new evidence to support policy makers on a number of new initiatives such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, monitoring of EU 2020 strategy achievements or the New Skills Agenda for Europe. Gender segregation in education, training and the labour market is the study being prepared for the upcoming Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union - in line with EIGE’s SPD 2016-2018 outlined work on monitoring the Beijing Platform for Action and supporting Presidencies of the Council of the EU. Gender segregation in education and training plays a significant role in shaping labour market stratification: it narrows down life and employment choices, leads to gender pay gap and further reinforces gender stereotypes. As a result, for example, only 13% of women work in male-dominated fields. Vice versa, only 26% of men work in female-dominated fields. Despite some progress achieved in increasing women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as men’s engagement in so called ‘feminine’ professions, gender segregation remains high across the EU, both in educational and labour market outcomes. Again, this refers not only to major social, but also to economic and labour market imbalances, especially given a large and increasing demand for the professionals within gender segregated fields: healthcare and education, STEM and ICT sectors. For example, major skills shortages of STEM and ICT professionals are already observed across all EU countries and expected to further exacerbate with future demographic developments (i.e. large retiring also foreseen, given age composition of those employed). At the same time, demand for STEM and associate professional is expected to grow by around 8% by 2025, much higher than the average growth forecast for all occupations. The latter study analyses EU and national situations in gender segregation in education (tertiary and vocational education and training – VET), transition from education to the labour market, and within the labour market itself. In addition to identifying positive examples, it raises a number of flags on worrisome developments, such as on stalled and eroding progress, untapped potentials and major barriers for those with acquired education to remain in fields of their qualifications. The study also reviews gender pay gap across gender typical employment sectors and it underlying factors. New evidence provided by this study is of utmost importance to supporting the implementation and monitoring of EU2020 objectives and the European Pillar of Social Rights. The later initiative includes a distinct aim on gender equality, in particular aiming to act on equal participation in the labour market (i.e. to which equal access to education is critical) and on equal pay for work of equal value. Furthermore, the study will provide important evidence on the links between gender segregation and the need to further support work-life balance for parents and carers – the latter topic being the focus of Commission presented initiative on work-life balance. In its April Communication on the release of the Social Pillar, together with an initiative on the work-life balance, the role of EIGE in supporting the work of the Commission, Member States and social partners in areas outlined by the Pillar, including gender equality per se and work-life balance, was already foreseen. Way forwardEducation is universally accepted as a catalyst for social change; and mainstreaming gender equality in education and training is directly linked with the overall increase in gender equality in society. In addition, the last few years have been marked by a particular attention on the role of EU institutions in addressing diverse challenges of the European education systems. In addition to the new mandates such as 2015 Paris Declaration and the ET2020 agenda, the European Parliament resolution (2015) on women’s careers in science and universities, and glass ceilings encountered also specifically called “on the Commission and the European Institute for Gender Equality to further develop the existing methodology for maintaining gender-disaggregated statistics for all academic and scientific activity, in addition to human resources statistics, and to develop valid indicators for measuring institutional change processes, both nationally and across the European research area”. Education has increasingly become a focus at the EU level, with recent initiatives providing a renewed mandate to work at that level. In this context, it is identified that EIGE should continue actively working in the area of gender equality and education – addressing diverse gender related issues within and through education systems, as well as those leading to a successful integration on the labour market. Questions for deliberation are: Should gender equality in education become an established activity in EIGE’s 2019-2021 work programme? Would that strengthen EIGE’s contribution to EU policy making and what added value would it give? Would that respond to the needs of EIGE’s main stakeholders (EU Commission, European Parliament, EU Member States, Social partners etc.?).Given EIGE’s limited resources, which of the current core tasks of the Institute should be discontinued? ................
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