Gender & Brexit: Why women's voices are important (roundtable)

The European Parliament Office in the UK, with Gender 5 plus (G5+), the first European Feminist Think Tank, is hosting a discussion on Gender and Brexit for this year's annual International Women's Day event.

The EU has been a significant player for the promotion of gender equality in Europe. In the UK too, women have benefited from European legislation as well as specific EU funding opportunities. The promotion of equal pay for work of equal value, the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex, and the guarantee of a minimum of maternity leave are some examples of where the EU has made a difference for millions of women. Moreover, around 6 billion Euros in 2019 have been allocated by the EU to research, actions and programs, earmarked to close the gender pay gap, address female poverty or fighting violence against women.

Will this be all lost to British women once the UK has left the Union? Could equality legislation be rolled back and will young female researchers be prevented from partaking in the funding of studies in support of gender equality? Why are there almost no women in the Brexit negotiations and what could be done to safeguard the existing equality legislation? While it is still too early to understand all the ramifications of Brexit for women in the UK, there is still time to influence the current negotiations to address the specific needs and demands of women.

These are some of the questions that will be addressed at a special event, organized by Gender Five Plus. A G5+ report on “feminists and women’s organisations roles and concerns” with Brexit will be presented by its author, Alice Chilcott. Then Mary Honeyball MEP, Gloria Mills for the ETUC and two renowned academics on gender issue, Jill Rubery and Roberta Guerrina will offer their views before a discussion with the audience.

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