EMPOWERED WOMEN
GENDER EQUALITY
Closing The Gender Gap
REMAINS CHALLENGING
Both the United Nations and the European Union will remain our partners in pursuing gender equality in all aspects of our lives, both digital and traditional.
T
he Gender Equality Index, as a composite indicator that measures the complex concept of gender equality, shows how far (or close) the EU and its Member States are when it comes to achieving a gender-equal society. Launched in 2005, as the offspring of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the Index produces a score between one and 100. Standing at 67.9 in 2020, it shows that there is still a long way to go before gender equality is achieved in the EU. The Index score has increased by only 4.1 points since 2010, and only 0.5 points since 2017. At such a pace, it would take more than 60 years to achieve gender equality in the EU. Some of these gains were almost wiped out by the Cronavirus pandemic, which posed a serious threat to progress on gender equality. It is therefore more important than ever to promote gender equality in all societies, both during and after the pandemic, and to use the Index as a metric of achievements. In short, as was spelled out by European Commissioner for
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Equality Helena Dalli, “gender equality must be sought in all areas of life for all Europeans – regardless of their gender”. According to Dalli, the Gender Equality Index is a crucial tool in this quest because it tracks progress. In that respect, it is worth noting that Serbia was the first country outside the EU to introduce the Gender Equality Index, which helps us in further creating public policies. This year’s meeting on gender equality, which was held within the scope of the 75th UN General Assembly in New York, provided an opportunity to discuss the significant gender equality results that Serbia has achieved in the past few years. Yet the country, like many around the world, faces violence against women and girls, with more than 300 women having lost their lives as a result of partner and domestic violence over the last decade. In general, there are many areas in which women’s prospects have to be improved, both in the EU and in Serbia. One such area is certainly the digital world, where we still have to ensure that
