The EU’s Vision for Gender Equality: A Roadmap with a Vision but Lacking Concrete Solutions
The European Union Commission has recently unveiled its long-term political vision for achieving gender equality, known as the “roadmap on women’s rights.” Presented amid a global backlash against women’s rights, the roadmap aims to address long-standing challenges in areas such as health, work, education, money, power, and violence. However, critics argue that while the initiative is a step in the right direction, it lacks detailed solutions and binding proposals to tackle these issues effectively. EU Commissioner for Equality, Crisis Management, and Preparedness Hadja Lahbib emphasized the need to ensure progress on gender equality, stating, “We have felt this pushback coming from across the Atlantic, but we have this roadmap exactly to be sure that we are not going to be on the wrong side of the progress.” Despite this commitment, the roadmap has been criticized for being more of a wish list than a comprehensive plan of action.
Criticism and Challenges: A Missed Opportunity for Bold Action
The roadmap’s lack of concrete measures has been met with disappointment from many stakeholders. MEP Mélissa Camara (France/Greens) expressed her dissatisfaction, noting that the initiative “falls short of what is at stake,” especially after equality was relegated to a sub-portfolio. The EU has not been immune to the rise of anti-gender movements and persistently high levels of sexual and physical violence against women. According to a UN report, one in four countries worldwide reported a backlash against women’s rights in 2024, and the EU has seen little progress in reducing gender-based violence. Around 50 million women across the bloc still experience such violence, with the percentage of women aged 18-74 affected barely changing between 2014 and 2024 (from 30.7% to 31.4%). MEP Lina Galvez (S&D/Spain), chair of the European Parliament’s committee on women’s rights, warned that “progress is not just slowing—it is under attack.”
Economic Imperative: Unlocking the Potential of Gender Equality
Improving gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic investment for the EU. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) projects that the EU’s GDP could increase by €1.2 trillion by 2050 if gender equality is enhanced through greater empowerment of women in the workforce and decision-making processes. However, significant challenges remain. The gender gap in employment persists, with women shouldering a disproportionate share of care responsibilities and unpaid work. In 2023, the employment rate for women aged 25-54 with children was 74.9%, compared to 91.9% for men with children. Without reinforced action, achieving full gender equality in the EU could take another 60 years. MEP Heléne Fritzon (Sweden/S&D) has called for addressing the root causes of the gender pay gap, which stands at 13%, and female poverty, emphasizing the need to tackle pay and labor market segregation and the undervaluation of work in female-dominated sectors.
Reproductive Rights: A Timid Approach to a Critical Issue
One of the most contentious issues in the roadmap is its handling of sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR), particularly access to safe abortion. The roadmap only briefly mentions the need to support women’s health by reinforcing member states’ actions on SRHR access, a move described as “timid progress” by critics. MEP Mélissa Camara expressed regret over the failure to address the right to abortion explicitly, a topic that has been widely debated across European institutions. The Parliament has long advocated for the inclusion of safe access to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Additionally, while the roadmap acknowledges the need to improve access to affordable menstrual hygiene products and contraception, it does not outline specific measures to achieve this. The lack of concrete commitments has raised concerns among advocates for women’s rights, who argue that words must now be followed by bold policies and strong leadership.
The Road Ahead: Turning Vision into Reality
Despite the criticism, the roadmap has been welcomed by various stakeholders as a step in the right direction. It lays the foundation for the next EU Gender Equality Strategy (2026-30) and represents a commitment to gender equality at a time whenwomen’s rights are under attack globally. However, the roadmap’s success will depend on its ability to translate vision into actionable policies. As Iliana Balabanova, president of the European Women’s Lobby, emphasized, “Words must now be followed by actions.” MEP Lina Galvez called for the integration of equality principles into all EU policies, a concept known as “transversality.” She stressed the need to turn the roadmap into concrete and cross-cutting actions across all policies, with a focus on budgeting and evaluating policies to ensure they are transformative and effective in improving equality.
Conclusion: A Call for Bold and Binding Commitments
The EU’s roadmap on women’s rights represents a symbolic commitment to gender equality, but its impact will depend on the bold and binding actions that follow. The global backlash against women’s rights underscores the urgency of addressing these issues comprehensively. While the roadmap acknowledges the challenges, its lack of detailed solutions and concrete measures leaves many questions unanswered. Advocates and policymakers agree that achieving gender equality requires not only vision but also strong leadership, firm commitments, and a willingness to address the root causes of inequality. As the EU moves forward, it must ensure that its rhetoric is matched by robust policies and actions that create a truly equitable society for all. The roadmap is a start, but the real work is just beginning.
