Which is our situation?

We start from a clear situation of inequality regarding different aspects in our lives. We continue to be second class citizens in all spheres: political, social and economical.

We are still living in situations of constant discrimination whatever our country, origin, social class, professional and family situation, cultural aspects, sexual orientation may be, both in the private and public sphere.

Of course these factors increase the situation of inequality. Poor, immigrant women are more exposed to a situation of greater vulnerability.

Has there been any progress in the last 50 years?
We have to accept an improvement or evolution concerning certain aspects of equality between men and women but this has not been equivalent in all countries or in all fields.
The social structure and basis of this discrimination, the patriarchy, remains untouched and as efficient as it was in the last century. So we need to talk about the different ways in which gender inequality is represented in our societies and evaluate if the implementation of our rights develops at an adequate rhythm considering changes and modernization in our societies.
 
Which are the important moments?
With no doubt the situation in each of our countries as well as the reasons that enables change and our implementation a collective depend on general or international factors and also on the political and economical order in our States. In Spain for example, the change from a dictatorship to a “formal democracy” has been decisive regarding the moment in which rights have been achieved but does not by itself modify the causes or the situation of inequality.
The evolution of women’s organization, the feminist movement and women’s struggles in the last decades have been basic for this evolution.

Are we going backwards or do we continue advancing at this moment?

At present inequality seems to have disappeared officially regarding our laws but if we analyse it in depth we can see it is not that way. It is thought that there is no need to continue discussing about topics like women’s rights or the class struggle. That is why we insist on claiming REAL EQUALITY.

Equality as it is reflected in laws make a great difference in our States but the lack of real and full equality in all spheres of life makes us more similar in all the EU.
In my country there is an image that portraits women as fully integrated in all fields of activity and with equal rights. There also are a number of positive laws (Gender violence laws, Equality laws) that do not always result in real and effective public policies. These laws do not have an adequate budget to be implemented and the State and its institutions are not responsible for the elimination inequality.

Violence against women. Self-determination, abortion.
Violence against women, reproductive rights, the right to decide over our bodies, a free sexual orientation, are all unresolved in most States.

Gender politics and mainstreaming in the EU
The principle of Mainstreaming (Beijing Conference 1995) has been incorporated in the European juridical framework by means of the Amsterdam Treaty and ratified by most countries –Spain ratified it in 1999-. This means that equal opportunities between men and women must be included in all policies, programs and projects. Therefore this should imply a compromise for the EU to assume the objective of equality in all its policies, legislative measures and activities and not only in those specifically directed to the promotion of Equal Opportunities.
This has been possible and has progressed in a positive way regarding programs and projects but has not been effective referred to politics and binding compromises.

A radical change in the approach to gender politics in the EU is necessary in all of our States. Women’s rights must be one of the priorities within institutional politics as well as evaluation items for the international community to establish a division between real democratic and non-democratic countries.

The EU cannot pretend to be the international leader regarding social and citizen rights due to many reasons (immigrants and cultural and ethnical minorities’ rights) and specifically when more than 50% of its population are living in a situation of second or third class citizenship.

Bucarest, 14/04/07