Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2015-10-08-Speech-4-013-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20151008.2.4-013-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, equal treatment of men and women is a fundamental value of EU law, and the principle of equal pay has been enshrined in the Treaties since 1957. Despite this long-standing commitment to equality, progress remains far too slow. The gender pay gap and gender pension gap still show significant differences.
It is gender that we are talking about, not biological sex. Women are in effect punished because of society’s expectations that they will bear children, regardless of whether they have them or not. Single women without children earn less than their male colleagues. Marriage and children are irrelevant to women’s earning potential. Women earn less whether they have husbands or children or not. As the gender pay gap stands, on average European women work 60 days without pay compared to European men. Employers might think this is good value, but it is shocking that it still happens.
The best way to tackle wage inequality is to improve wage transparency but, despite years of various instruments, the problem persists. The time has now come for stronger action. We need mandatory wage transparency and committed action from governments and businesses alike. Large companies listed on the stock exchanges in Member States should be obliged to publish their data so that employees can see for themselves whether they are getting a fair deal. They already have to publish other financial data, so this requirement is not too onerous. On a related point, we have to protect the independence and funding of national equality bodies, which assist in cases of unfair treatment, and we must likewise protect them from political interference.
I am also delighted to see language in this report ensuring that trans people are protected under equality legislation. A recent study found that one third of trans people reported discrimination when seeking employment at work. Trans women earn 20% less than their other female colleagues and they are punished doubly for being a woman and for being trans. We need improved trans-inclusive diversity training and legal gender recognition across our Member States, as well as equality for women in the labour market now."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples