European Gender Equality Week 2026: the EESC steps up action for equality

As Europe marks Gender Equality Week 2026, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is highlighting its long-standing commitment to advancing gender equality through its most recent policy work, civil society engagement and international action. From equal pay and economic independence to reproductive rights, participation and the fight against gender-based violence, the Committee continues to press for commitments to be turned into concrete and measurable progress.

Gender equality is a fundamental right, but also a question of democracy, economic resilience and competitiveness. This principle runs through some of the EESC's most recent work, including its opinion on the Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, adopted in July. The Committee welcomed the EU's renewed ambition but warned that the real test lies in implementation. It called for clearer benchmarks, effective monitoring and stronger links between equality objectives and EU instruments, while highlighting women's economic independence, equal pay, access to care, participation in decision-making and protection from gender-based and online violence. 

This message has been reinforced by the EESC's newly adopted opinion on Equality and the competitiveness agenda. The Committee rejects the idea that equality and competitiveness are competing objectives. Instead, it sees equality as an economic asset: removing barriers to employment, skills, entrepreneurship and leadership can help Europe mobilise untapped talent, respond to labour shortages and strengthen productivity, innovation and resilience. 

For women, this means continuing efforts to close the gender pay gap, increasing participation in entrepreneurship, STEM sectors and leadership, and effectively implementing the Pay Transparency Directive. The EESC also stresses that affordable, accessible and high-quality childcare and long-term care are not simply social provisions, but an essential part of Europe's productive social and economic infrastructure. 

Embedding gender equality across the EESC’s work

The Committee's commitment is also reflected in its support for citizen-led action. In January, the EESC backed the European Citizens' Initiative My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion, supporting a voluntary EU solidarity mechanism to help women who cannot access abortion care in their own country receive it in another Member State. The Committee stressed that access to reproductive healthcare should not depend on a woman's income, social background or where she lives. The Committee regularly placed this ECI in the spotlight and the European Commission provided an answer to the ECI in February 2026.

At institutional level, the EESC Equality Group provides a permanent structure for keeping equality issues high on the Committee's agenda and for translating its commitment into concrete initiatives and debate, as demonstrated by its work on women in the media earlier this year.

Throughout 2026, the Committee has also used events to put specific challenges faced by women in the spotlight. To mark International Women's Day, the EESC Equality Group organised the high-level conference Challenges for Women in Media – supporting and hindering factors, focusing on the harassment, stereotypes, online violence and other obstacles affecting women journalists and media professionals. The wider International Women's Day programme highlighted a common message: women's voices, safety and contributions in media, care and civic life must be visible, valued and protected. 

For the EESC, gender equality is equally about giving civil society the space and tools to turn rights into reality. That approach is visible in initiatives ranging from its policy work to Civil Society Week, which in 2026 brought together some 1 000 participants for four days of debate on democracy, resilience, inclusion and civic participation. One of the 2026 panel discussions specifically focused on "Intergenerational fairness, gender and minoritised language communities".

Taking the voice of European civil society to the global stage

The EESC is also carrying these priorities beyond the EU. In 2025, the Committee and UN Women signed a joint declaration to deepen cooperation on gender equality, including women's leadership and representation, gender-based violence, unpaid care, economic empowerment, access to education and digital tools, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The partnership built on the EESC's participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which began in 2024. 

That international engagement is continuing through the EESC's contribution to the 71st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW71). In its 2026 resolution, the Committee warns that gender equality remains uneven, fragile and increasingly contested. It calls for renewed political leadership, investment and accountability, while underlining that progress on gender equality is inseparable from progress on poverty, decent work, education, health, climate action and democratic participation. The EESC sees organised civil society as essential to turning these international commitments into change on the ground. 

Making equality a reality

Taken together, these different strands reveal a consistent approach: gender equality cannot be delivered through legislation or strategies alone. It requires implementation and accountability, but also public debate, strong civil society, social dialogue and international cooperation.

As the EESC has stressed in its latest work, the time for reaffirming commitments has passed. With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals approaching, the priority now is to turn those commitments into delivery and measurable results, ensuring that women can participate fully and equally in Europe's economic, social, democratic and public life.