- PES Women statement "PES Women Executive: No Czech ditching EU childcare targets" on 27 January 2009
Despite the promising trio programme, the Czech Presidency has taken controversial positions in the field of gender equality since acceding to the EU Presidency.
They stated that they “will focus on the issue of parental childcare and its relation to employment policy and stress the importance of home child care as a fully fledged alternative to a professional career, an alternative that deserves both respect and support from the state and society”. Furthermore, the Presidency intended to propose a possible review of the Barcelona objectives. The PES and PES Women have expressed their alarm at these positions and the underlying message which runs counter to efforts to promote gender equality, reconciling work and family life, and policies set out in the EU ‘Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men 2006-2010’. Socialist and Social Democratic Ministers from Spain, Hungary and Slovenia, meeting in Prague before the start of the Informal Council of Family Policy Ministers in February, agreed they would oppose any attempt to water down or drop EU child care targets and that improved child care across Europe was vital for higher educational standards, for opportunity and equality for parents and children alike, and an important means to achieve the EU’s Lisbon Agenda. PES Women also issued a statement voicing these concerns.
Read PES Women President reaction to the Czech Presidency ditching of child care targets: "What is the Czech Presidency thinking?" post
- PES Women supports 50/50 campaign, 16 September 2008
- PES Women urge improvements for women in employment. PES Women agreed on a resolution to achieve gender equality in the labour market on 7 November 2005. They call on European gender equality ministers to push forward in areas such as the elimination of the gender pay gap, increasing the participation rate of women in quality employment and providing better child care
- PES Women pledge card. On 8 March 2005 PES Women launched their first pledge card. It was used as a communication tool to raise awareness of the work of PES Women and to convey its priorities.
- European socialist women condemn conservative backlash, 7 March 2005
- PES Women resolution on Beijing +10 was adopted at the meeting of PES Women on 17 January 2005 and sent to PES gender equality ministers before the UN meeting in New York (28 February-11 March 2005)
