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Long-term growth requires greater gender equality

Equality between women and men is essential to meet the common challenges we face in bringing about long-term sustainable economic growth and employment in Europe. This was emphasised at the high-level meeting on gender equality and economic growth that was held in Stockholm today. Ministers, the Commissioner and other high-level officials responsible for gender equality and the EU growth and employment strategy took part in the meeting. A clear message from the meeting was that Europe cannot afford to let women remain outside the labour force and thus miss out on the economic potential that Europe’s women represent. (…)

The high-level meeting was held in connection with the Swedish Presidency’s conference on the meaning of gender equality for economic growth and employment. The conference emphasised the importance of being able to combine work and family life, and what effect the design of the tax system has on women’s labour force participation.
Three main messages emerged during the conference:

•Equality between women and men is an engine for achieving economic growth in Europe. More women in work contributes to increased purchasing power and increased tax revenues for our common welfare.
•The economic crisis also involves momentum: we must see the opportunities that greater gender equality presents for strengthening the economic recovery.
•The future EU strategy for sustainable growth and employment must have a clear gender equality perspective. In this way we create the conditions for increasing Europe’s global competitiveness, returning to sound public finances and tackling the effects of an aging population.