Women's economic independence and austerity measures: Economy #Beijing20 & EWL

One of the strategic objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action ’95 is ‘Promote women’s economic rights and independence …’ Women and the economy is one of the interdependent 12 critical areas of concern in this Platform for Action.
After 20 years the gender pay gap remains a major issue within the EU as women workers on average earn 16% less than men. A worrying development is the widening gender pension pay gap which stand at 39% within the EU. The gender pension gap shows that gender inequalities accumulate throughout women’s lives and that a life-cycle approach to women’s economic independence is urgently needed.

Women’s economic independence is the foundation of all rights. EWL’s key demands to the European Union and the Member States are a.o.

- Guarantee the individualization of social security and taxation rights in order to break women’s dependency on their partners and/or the State;

- Close the gender pay gap by 2020 and set targets to close the pension gap;

- Use Gender Budgeting as a standard methodology of all public budget processes;

Austerity measures
Austerity measures have a huge effect on women, both as workers in the public sector and users of public services. Moreover, women bear a disproportionate share of tax burdens, as they use larger portions of their income on food and basis goods for the household. Did you see the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) video-clip “A she-(re)cession. What does austerity mean for women in Europe?”? (2013) Note 1

The EWL publication (January 2015) Women's Economic Independence in Times of Austerity (Note 3) is using a gender equality and feminist lens in Country Profiles of Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden (Gender Budgeting), Greece and Italy (Social Enterprises). Social entrepreneurship can be a promising avenue through which women can empower themselves and others.

Joanna Manganara, Board Member since 2004 and President since 2013 of International Alliance of Women, is telling the story of Greece in an interview. Quote "It is also important ... to see women ... as actors of change in political decision-making." 

Let's take action and bring words into reality

How can we get to a feminist economic model? 
By a.o. Democratise the EU semester process through the participation of the EP and women's organisations.

From Words to Action
Will you read & share EWL’s factsheet about Women and the Economy?
Please get involved! Note 3

Note 1 

EWL clip ‘A she-(re)cession What does austerity mean to women in Europe?' https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=euIp9VdKzFk
Note 2 
EWL publication Women's Economic Independence in Times of Austerity January 2015

Note 3 
EWL 'From Words to Action' 2015 Calendar and Factsheet at
http://www.womenlobby.org/news/ewl-news/article/ewl-beijing-20-in-january-women-s?lang=en 
Note 4 
This blog is follow-up Action as written in blog 'Connecting feminists by social media'. Do you want to help IAW and EWL at Facebook and Twitter to share information and spreading knowledge? How you can help is described in this blog 'Connecting ...' 

Blogger Arina Angerman
is representing International Alliance of Women (IAW) in the Policy Committee of the European Women's Lobby (EWL). She is a consultant in how to use social media as a board member, entrepreneur or manager: Social Media 4 (Baby) Boomers

Connecting feminists by social media: IAW Board Meeting, EWL Policy Committee and #Beijing20

IAW Board Meeting: equal rights = equal responsibilities

logo of IAW is Justice Woman in yellow

In october 2014 24 members of the extended IAW Board met in Sion, Switzerland. The International Alliance of Women (IAW) is an international NGO comprising of more than 40 member organisations involved in the promotion of women's human rights and gender equality, and of the empowerment of women and girls around the world. 
IAW is a non-political and feminist organisation founded in 1904 and based in Geneva. Subtitle of IAW is Equal Rights - Equal Responsibilities. IAW has general consultative status in ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) since the beginning of the UN - 1947. Since October 2013 IAW has a new website www.womenalliance.org According to president Joanna Manganara the website is 'face and voice to the world'. (note 1)
 
Do you want to help IAW at Facebook and Twitter?
On Facebook news from IAW is published and news from other NGO's, newspapers or individuals is shared in accordance with the focus of IAW. At the time of writing this blog Facebook IAW has 550 likes. Womenalliance at Twitter has 240 followers. According to Lene Pind, head of Communications Unit, 'It is a rather informal medium, but very effective and very fast'.
Result of my inventarisation: 11 of the women attending the Board Meeting are using Facebook and 5 are using Twitter. 
International Alliance of Women as a NGO has a glorious past and has to work on getting a glorious future. The individual members and their organisations are encouraged to like, share, post, comment, follow and RT (ReTweet)! 'The board ... decided that the further development of these social media was to be pursued.'

New Policy Committee of European Women's Lobby 
130 ´Phenomenal Woman´ members of EWL, representing EU countries and European-wide organisations, attended the General Assembly in Lisbon in October. European Women's Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of more than 2000 women's associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women's rights and equality between women and men.

Arina Angerman (left) of IAW an European-wide organisation from Amsterdam was elected as representative to new Policy Committee / Board of Administration and Marion Boeker (right), Vice-President for IAW European Membership from Berlin is alternate. Arina continues the representation at EWL of Joanna Manganara, president IAW, from Athens. The new Policy Committee of EWL has 38 elected members.

Beijing20
The international community will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, a fundamental human rights instrument for women and girls adopted in 1995. Marion and I attended the launch of EWL's Beijing+20 report in Lisbon.

EWL demands as actions a.o. women as agents of change for a sustainable people-centred world. IAW too wants emphasis on women as agents of change in their essential contribution to solutions of problems. European Women´s Lobby is posting or sharing every day at Facebook and already has 17500 likes!

Goal of IAW representative at EWL will be 
--- to share information and spreading knowledge by Twitter or Facebook in order to strenghten the visibility of IAW and EWL at social media by posting or sharing at least twice a week (social media mobilisation)

--- From Words to Action 2015 Beijing20 Calendar of EWL ...
let´s make 3 months to take action from words by writing a blog 
** European´s Women´s Voice publication on women´s Economic Independence in Times of Austerity (blog published at Febr 22th) note 2
** Connecting generations of feminists by using modern technology - blog published at May 28th (we work on capacity building and mutual learning = lifelong learning)
** Campaign For A Europe free from violence against women (International Day to End Violence against Women Nov 25th)

Call to a doable action!? Please join
 International Alliance of Women or European Women´s Lobby or Arina Angerman or Marion Boeker at Twitter in order to follow, share and engage with their activities for Gender Equality or Equal Rights = Equal Responsibilities F/M or Social Media + Women´s Rights = The Future!

   note 1. in Reports for IAW Board Meeting Sion, Switzerland 2014 Compiled by Lene Pind, head of Communications Unit

note 2. From Words to Action: launched on 26th of January 2015 a special edition of the EWL magazine 'European Women's Voice: Women's Economic Independence in Times of Austerity'