The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls on the European Commission to promptly implement its new Gender Equality Strategy, while tackling the damaging gender impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has further exacerbated existing social and economic gender inequalities, increasing violence against women and different forms of discrimination against them.

"With COVID-19, women have increasingly been at risk of violence, poverty, multiple forms of discrimination and economic dependence. The strategy should be implemented without delay, to prevent women from continuing to pay the price for the pandemic," said Giulia Barbucci, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on gender equality, adopted at its July plenary session.

In its opinion, the EESC argued that the Commission must make sure that the Strategy takes account of the negative repercussions of the crisis for gender equality and that the gender perspective is incorporated into all the Member States' recovery measures.

Co-rapporteur of the opinion, Indrė Vareikytė, underlined the important role played by the media in creating and perpetuating stereotypes that lead to prejudice against women and create further inequalities.

She said the EESC was calling for a new thematic focus – media and advertising – to be included in the next Gender Equality Index published by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). The media should thus adopt codes of conduct and other measures outlawing sexism and dismantling stereotypes.(ll)