Minister Haatainen: Gender is important in economic management
“At the ministerial meeting on gender equality we will examine the position of women in economic decision-making and in particular in private enterprises,” the Minister of Social Affairs and Health Tuula Haatainen said at the start of the EU informal meeting on gender equality in Helsinki, 7 October. “Many Member States have developed different incentives and sanctions to increase the participation by women in economic decision-making. It is now time to raise this issue in the European Union.
“The success and development of the European economy requires that the participation of all people is benefited from in the best possible way. Women have enormous potential and European women are nowadays well educated. But women are underrepresented at all levels in management in the business world.
“Research results raise many interesting questions: is the success of women in business management because a part of that success to based on lack of prejudice and successful personnel strategies? Are women appointed to management just when a company is in a precipitous situation or faced with a difficult task? It appears that the appointments of women are above all due to this.
“That women’s access to management in economic life has the same bases as for men is above all a matter of justice. The European economy already draws on the work, ability and creativity of women. But this does not promote equity for women in career development. Experience shows that economic life benefits from women’s participation in drawing up major economic policy lines.
“Increasing the share of women in enterprise management would not solve all the equality questions concerning working life, such as attaining equal pay. It is more a question of women’s possibilities to advance equality. If half of the leaders of the economy were women, economic equality issues would be easier to solve.”
EU Institute for Gender Equality and Mediterranean cooperation advance gender equality
Minister Tuula Haatainen also raised the issues of the establishment of the European Institute for Gender Equality, which is intended to start operating from the start of 2007. The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament differ over what administrative model the institute should have. The minister said she hoped for flexibility from EU Member States and the European Parliament so that various open issues could be resolved as quickly as possible. “I’m working actively for the establishment of the Institute.”
Discussions on the position of women will continue at a ministerial meeting in Istanbul in November. The theme of the meeting will deal for the first time with the EU-Mediterranean cooperation forum. The meeting will be organised by the Finnish EU Presidency, the European Commission and Turkey.