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Resolution 1921 (2013) Final version
Gender equality, reconciliation of private and working life and co-responsibility
1. Although progress has been made
along the path towards gender equality, a traditional division of
roles between women and men remains widespread in Europe. Men enjoy
a privileged position on the labour market, whereas women still
do the lion’s share in terms of housework and care of dependants
(children and elderly persons).
2. At the same time, the financial and economic crisis has had
repercussions for the balance in the numbers of women and men in
the world of work. In many economies, those sectors which employ
a larger proportion of men have been more severely affected by the
consequences of the crisis (such as construction, infrastructure,
transport and industry more generally, whereas the services sector
has done better in maintaining employment levels and profitability).
3. Reconciling private and working life today is a challenge
for both women and men. However, some inequalities persist to women’s
disadvantage in the world of work, in terms of remuneration, discriminatory recruitment
and career progression.
4. The Parliamentary Assembly considers that systematic and consistent
reconciliation measures should be adopted by all member States,
so that everyone who so wishes may engage in a professional activity
and can harmonise this with their private and family life. These
measures should improve the reconciliation of private and working
life for both women and men and foster gender equality.
5. Another prerequisite of better reconciliation between private
and working life is an awareness of the importance of co-responsibility,
or shared responsibility between women and men in families. Co-responsibility relates
to every aspect of family life and includes shared parental responsibility,
although it goes further than that.
6. Reconciliation policies are also necessary to prevent and
combat poverty and social exclusion. In practice, parents obliged
to give up work because the way in which it is organised is incompatible
with family commitments, or forced to reduce their work commitments
and consequently their income, are at greater risk of poverty and
exclusion.
7. The Assembly considers that better reconciliation of private
and working life necessitates co-operation between all stakeholders
in society, States, enterprises, civil society and individuals and
that the latter, women and men, share their responsibilities within
their family and society.
8. The Assembly, taking into account the best practices found,
thus calls on the authorities of the Council of Europe member States
to:
8.1. offer adequate assistance
services for dependants (children and elderly persons);
8.2. introduce a parental leave scheme enabling parents, women
or men, to look after their children on an equal footing;
8.3. introduce financial support tools geared to families’
needs, particularly relating to the care and education of children;
8.4. respect the right of fathers to enjoy shared responsibility
by ensuring that family law foresees, in case of separation or divorce,
the possibility of joint custody of children, in their best interest,
which is based on mutual agreement; it should never be imposed;
8.5. reform labour law in order to make possible and encourage
more flexible forms of organisation, such as different working hours,
flexitime and teleworking;
8.6. introduce into labour law the principle that these forms
of work should not adversely affect career progression;
8.7. encourage voluntary application by enterprises of reconciliation
measures which are more advantageous than the statutory measures;
8.8. introduce financial support (interest-free or low-interest
loans) to back up reconciliation measures adopted by enterprises;
8.9. encourage research into the impact of the difficulties
of reconciling private and working life on employment levels and
the competitiveness of different economies;
8.10. encourage the collection and analysis of information about
the effectiveness of the reconciliation measures adopted;
8.11. conduct awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general
public about co-responsibility between women and men within families
and in society;
8.12. conduct educational and awareness-raising activities in
schools on the subject of co-responsibility and of respect for the
rights of every member of the family, irrespective of age and gender;
8.13. establish a dialogue with social partners and civil society
in order to promote the principles set out in this resolution.