EU Cohesion policy: First Gender Equality Report maps female achievements and disadvantages in EU regions

Today, the Commission has published the first Regional Gender Equality Monitor of the EU. It provides an accurate picture of where women achieve the most at regional level in Europe, and where they face the largest disadvantages. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform, Elisa Ferreira, said: “I am delighted to bring forward this ground-breaking work on mapping the glass ceiling that women face at regional level in Europe. The report demonstrates that there is still a lot to do to help women achieve the same opportunities as men. The Commission will continue working hard towards a gender-equal Europe.” The paper is based on two specially developed indices: the ‘Female Achievement Index’ and the ‘Female Disadvantage Index’. They reveal both the regions where women are achieving more and where they are at a disadvantage compared to men. The paper shows that, on average, women in more developed regions are able to achieve more and are at less of a disadvantage, while most women in less developed regions face big challenges. Within countries, women in capital regions tend to achieve more and are at less of a disadvantage. In general, regions with a lower female achievement index have a lower gross domestic product per capita, while regions with a higher level of female achievement have a higher level of human development. Finally, the quality of government is higher in regions where women achieve more. In addition to the working paper, the underlying data and the interactive tools, results are also available in the INTERACTIVE DATA STORY.