Introduction: Why women’s rights matter in the EU context?

Women’s rights are a fundamental part of the European Union’s commitment to human rights, equality, and democratic values. Equality between women and men is a core value of the EU, enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty; Pursuant to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union, promoting gender equality is one of the Union’s key objectives, while Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union requires the EU to eliminate inequalities and promote  equality between women and men in all its activities.

^[1]Over the past decades, significant progress has been made at both international and EU level, particularly since the adoption of key frameworks such as the 1993 Vienna Declaration and the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. These milestones recognised that women’s rights are an integral part of universal human rights and require specific attention due to persistent inequalities and structural discrimination.

The European Union has played an important role in advancing gender equality through legislation, policy initiatives, and international commitments. From addressing the gender pay gap to tackling gender-based violence and promoting women’s participation in decision-making, women’s rights remain a central priority in the EU policy agenda. However, despite these efforts, women continue to face significant challenges across Member States, including economic inequality, underrepresentation in leadership, and barriers to accessing fundamental rights.

At the same time, women’s rights are increasingly subject to political and societal contestation. In recent years, a growing backlash against gender equality has emerged in parts of Europe, often challenging existing protections and influencing policy debates. This makes the continued promotion and protection of women’s rights not only a legal obligation, but also essential for maintaining democratic values and social cohesion within the European Union.

• Key Policy Areas

The European Union addresses women’s rights through a range of interconnected policy areas, combining legislation, strategic frameworks, and funding initiatives. These efforts aim to promote gender equality across economic, social, and political spheres.

At the strategic level, the EU has developed comprehensive frameworks to guide its actions. On 7 March 2025, the European Commission adopted the Roadmap for Women’s Rights, which includes a Declaration of principles for a gender-equal society. This Declaration is intended to serve as a guiding framework for policymakers and a reference point for stakeholders in advancing gender equality across the Union.^[2]

In addition, the EU Gender Equality Strategy (2020–2025) outlines key priorities such as ending gender-based violence, closing gender gaps in the labour market, and achieving equal participation in decision-making.

At the legislative level, the EU has adopted several important measures to strengthen women’s rights. These include the Pay Transparency Directive, aimed at ensuring equal pay for equal work, the Work-Life Balance Directive, which promotes a fairer distribution of care responsibilities, and recent legislation addressing gender-based violence.^[3] These policy areas reflect the EU’s comprehensive approach, which combines legal measures with broader policy initiatives to address structural inequalities and promote women’s full participation in society.

• Gender equality and pay gap

Significant achievements include the Directive on combating violence against women and the Pay Transparency Directive, which aims to ensure equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.

However, women continue to face significant challenges in the labour market. Although female participation has increased over the past decade, it remained at 69.3% in 2022 across the EU, still 10.7 percentage points lower than that of men (80.0%); The gender pay gap also persists, standing at 12.7% in 2022, unchanged from the previous year; In addition, disparities extend into later life, with the gender pension gap reaching 26% in the EU.^[4]

• Work-Life Balance

Following the withdrawal of the Maternity Leave Directive, the European Commission adopted a broader approach to addressing women’s underrepresentation in the labour market.^[5] This led to the Work-Life Balance Initiative, one of the key deliverables of the European Pillar of Social Rights, aimed at supporting working parents and carers.

The initiative reflects societal changes and seeks to improve the balance between professional and family life, while promoting a more equal sharing of care responsibilities between women and men; It combines both legal and policy measures to create a comprehensive framework.^[6]

At its core is the Work-Life Balance Directive, adopted in June 2019, which modernises EU rules on family-related leave and flexible working arrangements. The Directive introduces several key rights, including at least 10 days of paid paternity leave, strengthened parental leave with part of it reserved for each parent, and a new entitlement to carers’ leave of five days per year. It also expands the right to request flexible working arrangements for parents of young children and for carers.

Overall, these measures aim to support women’s participation in the labour market and promote greater gender equality in both professional and family life.

• Representation in leadership

Women now hold leadership positions in several of the European Union’s most prominent institutions, marking a significant milestone in gender representation at the highest level. In 2026, Ursula von der Leyen leads the European Commission, Roberta Metsola heads the European Parliament, and Christine Lagarde presides over the European Central Bank, while Kaja Kallas serves as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs; Despite this visible progress at the top, broader representation trends reveal a more concerning reality.^[7]

Overall, women’s participation in EU political institutions is declining. In the European Parliament, the proportion of female Members fell to 38.5% following the 2024 elections, down from 41% in 2019, interrupting decades of steady progress; This suggests that advancements in gender equality are not only slowing but, in some cases, stagnating.^[8]

The situation across Member States highlights a growing divide. Some countries, such as Sweden and Finland, demonstrate high levels of female representation, with women holding a majority of parliamentary or governmental positions; In contrast, others continue to show significant resistance: Hungary has no women in its Council of Ministers, and Cyprus failed to elect any female Members of the European Parliament in the most recent elections.^[9]

At the national level, progress remains uneven. While some countries have improved female representation over time, gaps persist compared to EU averages, particularly in local and European institutions. These trends underline that, despite visible achievements at leadership level, structural inequalities continue to limit women’s full participation in political life across the European Union.

• Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence remains one of the most serious violations of women’s rights in the European Union, affecting approximately one in three women. It encompasses a wide range of forms, including domestic violence, sexual violence, harassment, and emerging forms such as online and cyber violence. Beyond its devastating impact on victims, it also imposes significant social and economic costs across the EU.

The EU has strengthened its response by aligning with international standards, particularly the Istanbul Convention, which it formally acceded to in 2023. This marked a significant step in establishing a comprehensive legal framework to prevent violence, protect victims, and prosecute offenders. At EU level, recent legislative developments, including the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, aim to harmonise definitions of certain offences, strengthen victim protection, and improve access to support services.

In addition to legislation, the EU supports Member States through funding programmes, awareness campaigns, and the exchange of best practices. Institutions such as the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) play an important role in monitoring trends and providing data to inform policy-making.

However, despite these efforts, important challenges remain. The implementation of measures varies across Member States, and certain forms of violence, particularly online abuse and harassment, continue to evolve faster than regulatory responses. Barriers to reporting, lack of support services, and social stigma also prevent many victims from seeking help.

Addressing gender-based violence therefore requires not only strong legal frameworks, but also coordinated action, consistent implementation, and continued efforts to change societal attitudes across the European Union

• Current Challenges and Gaps

Despite significant progress at EU level, important challenges and gaps remain in the protection of women’s rights across the European Union. One of the key issues is the uneven implementation of EU legislation, as Member States apply different legal frameworks and standards, leading to varying levels of protection.

In particular, economic inequalities persist, with the gender pay gap and pension gap continuing to affect women’s financial independence. Structural inequalities in the labour market, including unequal access to leadership positions and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities, further reinforce these disparities.

Certain groups of women face additional challenges. Migrant women, for example, are often more vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and barriers in accessing employment, healthcare, and legal protection. These intersectional inequalities highlight the need for more inclusive and targeted policies.^[10]

Reproductive rights also remain a highly contested area within the EU. While the Union promotes these rights at the international level, access to services such as abortion varies significantly between Member States, creating inequalities in the protection of women’s fundamental rights.^[11]

Finally, despite existing legislation, gender-based violence remains widespread, and new forms of violence, particularly online abuse, continue to emerge. These challenges underline the gap between policy commitments and their effective implementation in practice.

Conclusion

Women’s rights remain a central pillar of the European Union’s commitment to equality and fundamental rights, supported by a growing body of legislation and policy initiatives. While significant progress has been achieved in areas such as labour market participation, representation, and protection against violence, important challenges persist across Member States. Addressing these gaps requires not only continued legislative action, but also effective implementation, stronger enforcement, and sustained political commitment. Ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all women is essential for strengthening democracy, promoting social cohesion, and building a more inclusive European Union.

^[1] Treaty on European Union

^[2] EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025

^[3] EU Pay Transparency Directive

^[4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11784698/

^[5]https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/work-life-balance_en

^[6] ibid

^[7]https://www.eunews.it/en/2026/02/27/women-and-politics-despite-progress-in-eu-top-roles-representation-is-falling-and-national-gaps-remain-parliaments-study-shows/

^[8] ibid

^[9] ibid

^[10]https://solidaritywithothers.com/between-availability-and-accessibility-a-comparative-analysis-of-gbv-protection-for-migrant-women-in-belgium-and-sweden/

^[11] https://www.humanrightsresearch.org/post/autonomous-integration-and-reproductive-rights-in-the-european-union