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any cut on care and assistance services which are essential to promote women’s participation in the work market, at all levels; funding for gender equality policies might be amongst the first to be cut, as this issue is not often considered as apriority; around us, there is a widespread impression of a return to traditional values and that for women being at home bringing up their family might be a better choice than working; not many political parties in power seem to be willing to lead by example in this area now.

10. Conclusions

In conclusion, this is the time to be vigilant. More than ever. Women’s progress towards equal representation in politics and access to leadership positions might be under threat, as resources and public attention are turned to other matters, such as the consequences of the economic crisis.
As committed supporters of gender equality, we should not let it happen. Thank you.

Background information to keep in mind

Gender equality in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Assembly does not apply a quota system. However, the need to take into account gender equality is mentioned in several passages of the rules of procedure, namely in Rule 6.2a of the Assembly’s Rules of procedure, which requires that ‘national delegations should include members of the under-represented sex at least in the same percentage as in their parliaments and, at a very minimum, one member of the underrepresented sex appointed as representative’. In 2011, the Bureau of the Assembly decided that information on the gender breakdown of Assembly and committees elected positions should be collected on a regular basis.
The findings for 2011 were that3
as regards overall Assembly membership, women represented 30 % of the total; as regards the main leadership positions in the Assembly, women represented 15 % of the vice presidency, 17% of the Presidential Committee and 19 % of the Bureau of the Assembly; at Committee level, women represent 20% of Chairpersons and 28% of Committees’ Bureau members. As of July 2011, two Committees had women and men equally represented in their bureaux (the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee and the Committee on Culture, Science and Education).

The Assembly Gender Equality Prize In 2007, following a report by the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, the Assembly decided to set up a prize ‘to reward actions, schemes or initiatives that have been or are in the process of being carried out by political parties and have brought about a significant improvement in women's participation in elected assemblies, political parties and their respective executives.’’4 With this initiative, the Assembly sought ‘to highlight the importance it attaches to promoting women’s access to elected office and decision-making positions in political parties and acknowledge the special responsibility political parties have for fostering equal opportunities for women and men’.5 According to a detailed procedure set out by the Committee, ‘The political groups in the Parliamentary Assembly, in the European Parliament and in member states’ national parliaments will be able to submit a candidature file for the award, including the description of specific action taken by one or more political parties 3 AS/Ega Inf (2012) 05 4 Resolution 1593 (2007) In favour of a Parliamentary Assembly “Gender equality Prize”.
5 Ibidem.

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