European Women’s Lobby – Facts & Figures – Women in Europe
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: February 12, 2006
The European Women’s |
Facts and Figures about gender |
Facts and figures about the situation of
women in EuropeDespite legislation on gender equality
and progress made in the last 50 years, women still face major obstacles in
all areas of life and don’t enjoy equal rights globally. The following figures
give examples of the discrimination faced by women in the European Union. The
links section directs you to websites, where you can
find further statistics.Women and poverty
At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers in EU member states and
acceding countries in 2001[1]:
- Women: 16%
- Men: 14%
Women and health
Percentages of adult population with HIV
(15-49 years of age): Eastern Europe and Central Asia [2]
- 1995:
28 %
women; 72 % men
- 2002:
33 %
women; 67 % men
- 2004:
34 %
women; 66 % menWomen and the
economyGender pay gap (average gross
hourly earning of women as a percentage of men’s)[3]:
15 old EU Member States
- 1995: 17%
- 2001: 16%
Unemployment rates
(EU-15) [4]Women
Men
- 1994:
12,7 %
9,9 %
- 2000:
9,7
%
7,0 %
- 2001:
8,7
%
6,4
%Long-term
unemployment rates, i.e. 12 months or more (EU-15) [5]
Women Men
- 1994:
6,3
%
4,6 %
- 2000:
4,5
%
3,1
%Part-time employment (EU-wide)[6]
- 33 % of women in employment are
working part-time
- 6 % of men in employment are working
part-timeWomen in decision
makingRepresentation of women in the European
Parliament:
- 1995:
26.8%
- 2004:
30.3%
womenRepresentation of women in
national Parliaments[7]:15 old EU Member States:
- 1996:
14.8%
- 2004:
25.9%25 Member States and accessing countries:
- 2004:
20.1%Managers (15 EU Member
States)[8]:
- 1995:
30% women
- 2002:
30%
womenViolence against women
Domestic violence
- In the EU 1 in 5 women experience
violence by their intimate male partner. 95 % of all acts of VAW take place
within the home.[9]
- 6 women die every month in France as a
result of domestic violence,[10]
in the UK: 8 women every month,[11]
in Finland: 27 per year.[12]Sexual harassment
Between 40 and 50 % of female employees
have experienced some form of sexual harassment or unwanted sexual behaviour
in the workplace.[13]Violence experienced by women in
prostitution
- The average age of women entering into
prostitution is 13 or 14; there is no evidence to suggest that this age is
decreasing.[14]
- Data provided by the British Medical
Journal on the experience of client violence against women prostitutes
indicates that 93 % of women had an experience of client violence. [15]
- Around 80 % of women in prostitution
have been sexually abused in their childhood. [16]Rape [17]
Reported numbers of rape in England and
Wales (in 2001): 9743 cases; Germany (in 2001): 7891 cases.Trafficking in women : Approximately 500,000 women are annually
trafficked into Western Europe.Legalisation of prostitution in
the Netherlands:
- A new professional category that of
“businessmen/pimp” has exploded in the Netherlands transforming the local
market into a huge centre for international prostitution:
- In 1981 there were 2 500 prostitutes,
10 000 in 1985, 20 000 in 1989 and 25 000 on 2003.[18]Useful links:Statistics on gender issues – European Commission:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equ_opp/statistics_en.htmlAnnual reports of the European Commission on gender equality
contain statistics:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equ_opp/report_en.htmlEuropean Commission database, Women and men in
decision-making:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/women_men_stats/index_en.htmInter-parliamentary Union: Women in National Parliaments
website:
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htmUnited Nations – statistics on women and men:
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/United Nations Economic Commission for Europe – Gender
Statistics website for European and North America: http://www.unece.org/stats/gender/web/World Bank database of gender statistics: http://devdata.worldbank.org/genderstats/home.asp
[1]
The social situation in the European Union.
2003, European Commission, 2003[2] “AIDS epidemic update: December 2004”, UNAIDS/WHO,
2004[3] Op. cit. 3.
[4] Op. cit.
3.[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid
[7] European Commission data base on women in
decision-making.[8] Robert Schuman
Foundation, « L’Europe, une chance pour la femme » (May
2004).[9] “Unveiling the hidden data on domestic violence in
the EU”, EWL, 1999.[10] Interview of French Minister for Equality and
Parity, Nicole Ameline, in: Bulletin de la Commission Femmes, Amnesty
International, no. 7, march 2003.[11] WOMANKIND newsletter, Spring/Sum-mer
2003.[12] “Faith, Hope, Battering: A Survey of Men’s Violence
against Women in Finland”, Statistics Finland, Council for Equality, Justice
1998:20[13] “Sexual Harassment at the workplace in the European
Union”, European Commission, 1998[14] “La prostitution un métier comme un autre?”, Yolande
Geadah ; VLB éditeur, 2001, p. 137.[15] British Medical Journal: Do you want the latest
evidence? “Personal characteristics, drug use, and experience of client
violence by prostitutes working indoors or outdoors”, downloaded
17/2/2003[16] Factsheet on Human Rights Violations, Prostitution Research &
Education, Melissa Farley, http://www.prostitutionresearch.com
[17] “Rape – Still a forgotten issue”, Rape Crisis
Network Europe, 2003[18] Op. cit., see 15 and Note on Trafficking in Women by
the UNECE
ECE/AC.28/2004/10.
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