Belgian parliaments at the top on gender equality

During the second thematic session of the 71st plenary session of COSAC, held at the European Parliament in Brussels, MPs discussed the gender policy of and the representation of women and men in parliament.

COSAC (Conférence des Organes Spécialisés dans les Affaires Communautaires) brings together the European affairs committees of the national parliaments and a delegation from the European Parliament. In Belgium, it is the Federal Advisory Committee on European Affairs. The COSAC plenary session (24-26 March) is the last in a series of conferences organised by the Belgian parliaments as part of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 January-30 June 2024).

Equality is fundamental to a democracy. Although gender equality is inscribed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is not yet a reality in many parliaments today. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), only six national parliaments in Europe have more than 40 per cent female members.

Figures presented at the COSAC plenary by Maruša Gortnar, head of research and policy support at the European Institute for Gender Equality, show that 67% of members of national parliaments in the European Union are men. In only six of the 27 EU countries national parliaments have more than 40% women. In itself, that seems a good figure, but in the last 20 years, it has barely increased by 0.6%. Belgium ranks fifth on the list.

Obstacles include social and cultural barriers within political parties and within society. For women, the combination of family and professional responsibilities often inhibits their political ambitions.

A major reason is that fewer women are candidates. That fewer women are often elected is because there are proportionally fewer female candidates. In countries where this number is higher, quotas are in place. In countries without quotas, it will take twice as long to get gender equality.

Belgium's Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity said that since 1994, Belgian legislation has imposed that on electoral lists a maximum of two-thirds of members can be of the same sex, in other words a quota system.

However, politicians need to look beyond quota. After all, once elected, women have fewer opportunities to take 'top positions' in politics. One of the reasons is that almost 75% of party chairs in the European Union are men and they usually decide on top positions in politics. For example, the number of women chairing parliamentary committees is 29% (in national parliaments). "As a result, they can weigh less on the political agenda", says Latifa Gahouchi, Chair of the Belgian Senate's Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for women and men.

Besides quota, a gender plan with recommendations and impact studies is a second step. Unfortunately, only five parliaments have currently implemented such a plan.

The speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives points out that the Belgian federal parliament has carried out an unprecedented gender screening and the recommendations have been translated into a gender plan to be implemented by a specially trained person. The Belgian House of Representatives has also amended the staff regulations so that, in case of equal skills, the person with the lowest gender representation in the department is elected.

Parliaments can also work towards a better working environment by, among other things, establishing childcare facilities and better communicating gender equality to the public. In addition, the harassment of women in politics needs to be addressed.

Given the violence that female politicians can suffer, as indicated in a European Commission report, female representatives could be given access to counselling and support services just like all male and female employees.

Regarding cyber violence, the European Union's proposed directive on artificial intelligence, which seeks to regulate online violence, includes a gender perspective.

There is no longer any doubt that diversity and co-education are engines of progress.

A recent study by Graydon concludes that companies whose staff pursue gender equality have a lower risk of burnout. There is also a strong correlation between gender equality and business resilience. Female leadership also serves to inspire and motivate future generations to believe in their own abilities.

To achieve all this, one element should not be forgotten: cooperation between men and women. This is crucial. Male MPs can play a leading role in the fight against gender stereotypes and can defend and protect women's rights at all levels. Of course, this should not be limited to parliament but should be an example for society.

Agnès Hubert, professor at the College of Europe and founding member of Gender5+, closed the debate with the following conclusion: "The threats to democracy posed by populist and anti-gender movements have the paradoxical effect of reinforcing the importance of democratic values and the strategic advantages of promoting gender equality. On the eve of elections that could be fuelled by populism, the future of our democracies depends on the responsibility of parties to nominate women and then agree to ensure equality in the distribution of positions of power and in the work of all parliamentary committees."

All the information and additional documents concerning the conference are available on the website of the parliamentary dimension of the EU Presidency.

The meeting can be reviewed on the Parliamentary Dimension's YouTube channel.

High-resolution photos are available on the Parliamentary Dimension's Flickr channel.