Co pięć lat Komisja Europejska przygotowuje wieloletnią Strategię Równości Płci. Trwają właśnie konsultacje publiczne.
To bardzo ważne, aby wybrzmiały głosy, które dbają o interesy chłopców i mężczyzn. Strategia unijna przekłada się na to, jakimi tematami będą się zajmować instytucje unijne i jak wydawane są środki – również na szczeblu lokalnym. Państwa członkowskie również będą się tym kierować przy ustalaniu swoich krajowych priorytetów.
Sami wysłaliśmy dość obszerną opinię i zachęcamy każdego naszego Sympatyka, aby podzielił się swoją opinią. Możliwe jest to w każdym z języków Unii, w tym w polskim.
Jak to zrobić?
1. Wejdź na stronę.
2. Załóż konto (jako osoba lub organizacja)
3. Kliknij „zamieść opinię” i wypełnij formularz.
Nasza opinia jest po angielsku i koncentruje się wokół następujących elementów:
1. Równe szanse edukacyjne dla chłopców i mężczyzn
2. Działania na rzecz męskiego zdrowia
3. Równouprawnienie ojcostwa
4. Równość emerytalna
5. Równość obowiązków wojskowych
6. Zbieranie danych na temat przestępstw seksualnych wobec mężczyzn
7. Monitoring programów europejskich pod kątem dyskryminacji płci (powszechnej dzisiaj w Polsce)
Poniżej umieszczamy pełną treść naszej opinii. Prosimy – nie róbcie „kopiuj-wklej”. Piszcie własnymi słowami o tym, co sami uważacie za ważne. Na ile znamy urzędników – większe szanse na odniesienie skutku mają konstruktywne propozycje rozwiązań, niż sama krytyka.
Konsultacje trwają do 11 sierpnia, ale napiszcie jak najszybciej! Choć my zdecydowaliśmy się na angielski – wasza opinia może być po polsku.
Opinia Stowarzyszenia nt. przyszłej strategii równości płci Unii Europejskiej
1: Education
The EU goal of 45% young people with a tertiary degree in 2030 has been surpassed by women (48%), but not men (37%).
The gaps arise in early childhood. In the PISA study, boys have poorer reading skills in all MS, but also in maths and science in some MS.
Boys drop out of school earlier. This limits them in many aspects: civic activity, health and even the chance to build a relationship and have children. The EU is losing their potential and young men are becoming radicalised and sceptical about its value.
The Strategy must include a section on boys’ underachievement in education, in particular reading skills and attainment.
The EU should invest in actions supporting boys, particularly of disadvantaged backgrounds, and in campaigns such as ‘Boys go medical sciences’, ‘Boys into universities’ (analogous to ‘Girls go science’).
The Erasmus+ reports must monitor gender balance among students. Men should be actively encouraged to participate.
2: Health
The gender gap in life expectancy varies between 3 years in the Netherlands and 10 in Latvia, which proves the structural and cultural causes of men’s premature deaths.
Men account for around 80% of suicidal deaths.
Almost 2/3 of accidents at work happen to men. Outdated OSH norms often differentiate between genders without any specific need.
The EU should invest in campaigns promoting men’s self-care, exercise, proper diet, suicide prevention and restricting the availability of alcohol.
The EU should support economic transformation to safer jobs and promote occupational safety, taking into account the gender disparities.
3: Fatherhood
In 2020, 0.7 mn divorces took place in the EU. As evidenced by rulings of the ECHR, the isolation of parents from their children remains a massive problem in many MS, in violation of the ChFREU Art. 24(3). Parental conflict often occurs across borders.
The EU narratives about shared care should focus on the positive effects of paternity leave for fathers and children, and not only on women’s work-life balance and careers.
The EU should write a report on the prevention of illegal isolation of children from their parents. Eurostat should collect data to assess the scale of this phenomenon.
The EU should pay attention to gender balance in the judiciary, particularly in family courts.
4: Pensions
The call for evidence highlights women’s lower pensions but is silent about unequal retirement ages.
The EU should take steps to close the gaps in retirement age.
The EU should promote seniority pensions to give physical workers a chance to retire.
5: Military obligations
In many EU MS, only men are obliged to serve or pass through a military service eligibility assessment.
Equal rights should imply equal military obligations.
6: Gender-based violence
The TFUE (Art. 83), the Directive 2024/1385 and the Gender Equality Strategy neglect sexual violence against men.
The EU-GBV survey included only women. The data from 11 EU countries that nevertheless surveyed men show that the scale of such violence against men is far from negligible.
Eurostat must collect data on domestic and sexual violence against men in all MS, adjusting surveys to capture men’s experiences as victims of violence.
The Treaty should be amended, so that the EU has competences to deal with sexual violence against men.
7: The use of EU funds
Local administration often discriminates against boys and men without proper justification in EU-financed programmes: unemployment programmes, vocational training and training for school children. The gender lens is simplified to disqualifying men, prioritizing women in the recruitment criteria or reserving more places for women than men. This practice is often due to the requirement of declaring the expected gender distribution of participants. Instead of encouraging men to participate, organizers assume they will not participate.
The EU should monitor the local implementation of EU programmes and fund spending to ensure proportional benefits and participation for women and men.