On 6 March 2025, Director Carlien Scheele delivered an address to DG PERSONNEL on how gender sensitive parliaments are a gateway to gender equality.
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for this opportunity to present to you my Agency’s tools for change. Tools which support achieving gender-sensitive parliaments.
Or, to put it more bluntly: tools for democracy.
Yet despite ongoing challenges to democracy, it’s important to celebrate notable achievements where we can.
Because the European Parliament is leading by example through actively demonstrating its commitment to mainstreaming gender equality in its structures and practices:
Here are some noteworthy mentions:
- It has promoted the use of a gender impact assessment in European Union policymaking.
- It has committed to carrying out a gender impact assessment for each legislative own-initiative report, with the aim of improving gender mainstreaming in the legislative process.
- It leads the way with initiatives to address gender equality in internal infrastructure and communication efforts. The European Parliament’s buildings in both Brussels and Strasbourg have childcare facilities for the children of MEPs, parliamentary staff, accredited parliamentary assistants and other European Parliament employees.
- The European Parliament holds events and hearings dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights and ensures that its work on gender equality is made available to the public.
This list is not finite. The European Parliament truly embodies what it means to be gender sensitive.
As ever, there is always room for improvement and a need for renewed commitment and disciplined action for gender equality.
That is why as an Agency we remain a steadfast backbone to the EU and its Member States to support the advancement of gender equality through the power of gender sensitive parliaments.
So, before going into how these tools are used, I’ll take a step back with a broader perspective on what parliaments represent.
Parliaments are not just legislative bodies; they are the cornerstone of democracy and gender equality, representing the diversity of our societies and ensuring that all voices are heard in the decision-making process.
Last year, we faced a very concerning turning point.
Our Agency’s evidence from the Gender Statistics Database showed that the 2024 elections were the first European elections to result in a decrease in women Members of the European Parliament.
A total of 278 women (38.7 %) and 441 men (61.3 %) took their seats at the constitutive session of the new European Parliament in July.
I don’t know about you, but this moment felt like the divide in Europe was all the more official.
That progress on women's representation is openly being pushed back.
Let me offset that with some better news.
Our evidence found that as of November last year, the European Parliament bureau is gender balanced. Presided by Ms Roberta Metsola as speaker of the parliament, there is a total of 15 members, including 8 women.
But then, looking at a different structure, we see the leaders of political groups in the European Parliament are still mostly men.
Although 4 of the 8 groups have a woman leader or co-leader, overall, men hold 8 of the 12 leadership positions – this specific data point is the latest we have and it is the first time we have shared it.
So you see, where there is good news, there is also bad news. But for achieving gender equality, we need consistency.
Setbacks to gender equality teach us that nothing is a given, and gains are not simply granted just because we’ve made already made progress.
Gender equality is essential in all areas of life – not least in political decision-making which has an impact in all areas of life.
Our latest data collection on gender-sensitive parliaments covering the European Parliament and national parliaments in the EU-27 undertaken in 2023 shows that despite some progress, gender equality in parliamentary structures and processes remains an ongoing challenge.
Women continue to be underrepresented in parliaments, including in leadership roles. Policies and laws may impact women and men differently, yet too often, gender considerations are not systematically integrated into the legislative work.
My Agency’s gender-sensitive parliaments toolkit can help parliaments across Europe and beyond take decisive, structured, and effective action towards achieving gender equality. When parliaments operate in a gender-responsive manner, they represent their societies more fairly, make better decisions, and create policies that benefit everyone.
Let me break down how the gender-sensitive parliaments toolkit works:
Starting off with a self-assessment: It gives you a snapshot of how gender-sensitive parliament is already and also highlights key areas for improvement.
Having a situational understanding into strengths and weaknesses is foundational for action.
For meaningful institutional change to take place, the next step is to take action and develop measures to address the identified gender inequalities within the parliament.
And this is where the tool on gender equality action plans comes in.
Gender equality action plans are a vital gender mainstreaming tool to help parliaments identify and address gender inequalities and deliver on national, EU level, and international commitments to advance gender equality.
Once again, congratulation to the European Parliament for truly embodying gender equality in its structures and practices. It is one of the few parliaments in Europe with a gender equality action plan.
So what is a gender equality action plan?
They are gender mainstreaming tools that outline the specific actions an institution will take to advance gender equality in their organisation.
Why is it vital?
Its framework is fully tailored to take into account the unique structure, roles, and functions of parliaments, addressing areas such as representation, working conditions, internal parliamentary procedures, gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive legislation.
You would be correct in assuming it’s comprehensive, and may seem a little daunting at first sight.
But the tool offers a clear, structured approach for parliaments to develop and implement gender action plans.
It walks parliaments through the entire process—from assessing the current state of gender equality to setting priorities, defining measurable objectives, and evaluating progress. This ensures that parliaments can take systematic and sustainable action.
The tool also offers practical guidance and many useful resources, such as checklists and ready-to-use templates. Practical examples drawn from existing gender equality action plans adopted by parliaments in the EU and beyond are included for inspiration.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s never a done and dusted job. It requires meticulous monitoring and accountability over time.
The tool includes practical guidance for monitoring and evaluating progress, helping parliaments to track their achievements, identify obstacles, and adjust their strategies accordingly.
By providing guidance for developing indicators and accountability measures, it ensures that gender equality commitments are not just words on paper but actions that yield tangible results.
Coming back to the core of tools for change.
Achieving gender equality in our parliaments is not just a moral imperative—it is a democratic necessity.
It is not enough to support gender equality in principle—we must actively integrate it into our daily work and decision-making structures.
Let us seize this opportunity to transform our parliament, strengthen our democracy, and build a future where gender equality is not just an ideal but a reality.
Thank you.