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BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
Newsletter – November 2016
BPW Europe Lobby and Advocacy Policy Advisor
BPW EU Policy Advisors News
Susana Binder’s and Miette Dechelle’s terms as policy advisors have ended on
September 30, 2016. Thank you both for
your great work, valuable achievements
and passion!
Find the Code of Conduct and the paper
on How to contact your MEP prepared
by Miette and Susana attached to this
newsletter.
During the presidents’ meeting in Zurich, Henrike von Platen and Raffaella Femia
have been elected new policy advisor for
lobbying and advocacy 2016-2017.
Henrike von Platen is the past-president of
BPW Germany and currently active as
FairPay expert in BPW Germanys Equal
Pay Day Project.
Raffaella Femia is a past member of
Commissione Nazionale Legislazione for
NO District FIDAPABPW ITALY 2013-
2015 and currently President of FIDAPA
BPW ITALY Sezione di SAVONA.
Contact details:
Henrike von Platen
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.von-platen.de/en/
Skype: hvonplaten
Twitter: @vonPlaten_BPW
Raffaella Femia
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: raffaella femia
Twitter: @raffaella_femia
Skype: avvfemia
BPW Europe News
Equal Pay Day
During the presidents’ meeting in Zurich, a resolution on a shared calculation and
interpretation of the Equal Pay Day has
passed.
The Equal Pay Day symbolises the
gender pay gap in each country and
shows the day until women work for free
whereas men already start earning on
January 1 of a given year.
The Equal Pay Day is calculated as
following:
Gender Pay Gap (in per cent) x 365
days a year = days women work for free
Example for Germany:
Gender Pay Gap of 21%
21% x 365 days = 77 days women work
for free
>> next Equal Pay Day on March 18, 2017
In social media please use #EPD2017 for
next year actions.
Equal Pay WIKI
Find information on Equal Pay
> www.equalpay.wiki
Articles in English can be accessed here >
http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:Article
s_in_English
We look forward to receiving your news or
content via email to [email protected]
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
EU News
European Commission
The European Equal Pay Day has been
celebrated on November 3, 2016. The
statement is available here >
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-
release_STATEMENT-16-3578_en.htm
In the annual growth plan 2016, the
European Commission emphasizes the
need for more women in the labour
market. To achieve this, the work-life
balance shall be strengthened and
disincentives for women to work reduced.
More information here >
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/2016/a
gs2016_annual_growth_survey.pdf
A European Pillar of Social Rights shall
be introduced. European citizens are
invited to have their say on the plans.
BPW Federations and Clubs can share
their views in the consultation procedure
via > http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/deeper-
and-fairer-economic-and-monetary-
union/towards-european-pillar-social-
rights_en
Consultation ends on December 31, 2016.
European Parliament
The committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality currently works on:
- Equality between women and men in
the European Union in 2014/2015
- Women and their roles in rural areas
- The need for an EU strategy to end
and prevent the Gender Pension Gap
More information here >
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees
/en/femm/work-in-progress.html
The Committee on Employment on
Social Affairs currently works on:
- European Foundation for the
improvement of living and working
conditions
- A European Pillar of Social Rights
- Working conditions and precarious
employment
More information here >
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees
/en/empl/work-in-progress.html
European Institute for Gender Equality
(EIGE)
The EIGE has updated the section on
gender statistics. Find information here >
http://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics
BPW is part of the EuroGender Network.
Find all information and partner activities
here > http://eurogender.eige.europa.eu/
European Women Lobby (EWL)
The EWL calls for the ratification of the
Istanbul Convention to end violence
against women. 16 days of activism
against violence against women will take
place all over Europe between 25
November and 10 December, 2016.
The EWL continues with her engagement
on refugee women and continues with its
project ‘From Conflict to Peace’. #womensvoices
The EWL underlines the ‘urgent need for UN Member States to ensure human rights
and decent working conditions for female
domestic workers all over the world’ in preparing CSW 61 in 2017 under the
theme ‘women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work’.
More information here >
http://www.womenlobby.org/
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
Attachments
1. Code of Conduct
2. Manual: How to contact your MEP
3. Resolution on the Equal Pay Day
4. Manual: How to calculate the Equal
Pay Day
5. Monitoring Report: Equal Pay Day
2016
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
BPW Europe Code of Conduct
Business and Professional Women are vital for the democratic process acting between the
world of business, civil society and policy makers. This also means for Business and
Professional Women to undertake and observe the highest professional standards.
In general,
BPW Member is guided by and observes the following general principles of conduct:
disinterest, integrity, openness, diligence, honesty, accountability and respect for BPW’s reputation.
BPW Member acts solely in BPW interest and refrain from obtaining or seeking to obtain any
direct or indirect benefits (financial or personal) or other reward.
In particular,
All BPW Member must undertake and observe the below principles:
1. act with honesty and integrity at all times, conducting their business in a fair and
professional manner. They shall treat all others - colleagues, competitors, staffs and
officials and members of the institutions, with respects and civility at all times.
2. Business and Professional Women should not exert improper influence on staffs, officials
or members of the institutions
3. maintain the highest standard of Professionalism in conducting their work with
Institutions. When making representations to the Institutions, they shall be opened and
transparent in declaring their name, organisation or company, and the interest they
represent.
4. neither intentionally misrepresent their status nor the nature of their enquiries to officials
and institutions nor create any false impression in relation thereto;
5. take all reasonable steps to assure the truth and accuracy of all statements made or
information provided by them to the Institutions or Officials.
6. not disseminate false of misleading information either knowingly or recklessly, and
exercise proper care to avoid doing so inadvertently. They shall obtain any information
from Officials or Institutions by illicit or dishonest mean.
7. honour confidential information and embargoes and always abide by the rules and
conventions for the obtaining, distribution and release of all official documentations.
8. not sell to third parties copies of documents obtained from Officials and Institutions.
9. avoid any professional conflict of interests.
10. when employing former staff, officials or members of the Institutions, take all the
necessary measures to comply with the rules and regulations laid down by the
Institutions in that respect, in particular with regards to confidentiality.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
11. not offer to give either directly or indirectly any financial inducement to any official,
member of staff or member of the Institutions.
12. obey to the rules of the Transparency register to which BPW is registered as:
RULES Interest representatives shall always:
a. identify themselves by name and by the entity(ies) they work for or represent;
b. not misrepresent themselves as to the effect of registration to mislead third parties
and/or EU staff;
c. declare the interests, and where applicable the clients or the members, which they
represent;
d. ensure that, to the best of their knowledge, information which they provide is
unbiased, complete, up-to-date and not misleading;
e. not obtain or try to obtain information, or any decision, dishonestly;
f. not induce EU staff to contravene rules and standards of behaviour applicable to
them;
g. if employing former EU staff, respect their obligation to abide by the rules and
confidentiality requirements which apply to them.
Reference of above text to SEAP Code of Conduct.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
Index
How to lobby your MEP?
How to contact your MEP?
This document is only for internal use.
I. How to lobby your MEP?
The European Union (EU) is currently made up of 28 countries, comprising a total population of 500 million.
Question raised on why you should get to know your MEP, how you can influence the decision-making process at European level, and how the EU works.
Why should I get to know my MEP?
Because they vote during the creation and revision of most EU legislation. BPW can campaign around any important EU decisions over the next few years. You can help BPW campaigns by putting pressure on MEPs, for example writing letters and letting them know that they will receive local coverage on how they vote.
Who is my MEP?
Look up by name, country, political bodies, group and constituency at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search.html
What should I know about MEPs?
They are democratically elected, so they want their electorate to know what they are doing, and are keen to get re-elected. They are members of a political party (at National level) and an EU level political group. They are member of at least one committee focusing on a topic (e.g. FEMM, ITRE, EMPL or BUDGET). Within their Committee they sometimes lead the debate on a specific issue, writing a report on which the Parliament later votes. They can also propose changes to other MEPs’ reports. They are not protected or controlled by civil servants. They gather their own information from the people who lobby them, and their colleagues. They can be persuaded by expertise and good arguments.
How can you influence your MEPs?
This is not much different to lobbying your local MP.
For example, you could:
Write to them Set up a meeting with them Build a relationship with them Work with them to get press coverage
On the whole MEPs are happy to take media opportunities in local press or on TV as they generally feel that they don’t get much exposure in the National press. Therefore you may be
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
able to influence your MEPs’ votes on an issue if they know you will be trying to get coverage on how they vote in local media.
When should you lobby an MEP?
It is best to lobby them about something that is already on their agenda, for example something that they will soon be discussing or voting on. If they are involved in writing a report on a specific issue, they will spend many months working on it. You can find out more about the best time to lobby an MEP on a certain issue by contacting the relevant BPW Representatives such as BPW Europe Coordinator, ECC, EWL (European Women Lobby) Representatives.
It is also relevant to contact at any time MEP of your Region and/or Country to introduce BPW (from BPW Federation to BPW Club) to promote BPW history and work in general (from BPW International to BPW Europe) and BPW Federation and BPW Club’s activities in particular, creating visibility, new cooperation and asking for support.
Who influences MEPs?
MEPs are influenced by a wide range of factors, including the position of their EU political group and National party on an issue, policies of their national government and law, lobbying from the different organisations in Brussels (Industry, NGOs, Trade Unions, Academia, Consultancies,…), as well as Permanent, Regional and Local Representations, and lobbying from their constituency by businesses or individuals.
How do constituents find out about MEPs’ interests?
It is useful to find out about your MEP’s interests before contacting them and to know in which Committee they are, on which issues they are working and/or reporting.
Therefore, consult the European Parliament Website at Committees and/or look at your MEP’s profile directly before contacting Her/Him.
Is it better to contact MEPs in Brussels or in your Country?
Because MEPs travel so much it is a good idea to fix a meeting well in advance either in Brussels or Strasbourg (although they are always extremely busy in Strasbourg) or in the Country/Region of Origin. It’s probably easiest to contact the National office if you are trying to set up a meeting in your Country, and the Brussels office if you want to set up a meeting in Brussels or in Strasbourg. Lobbying letters can go to either, but the assistants working in the Brussels offices are more likely to be knowledgeable about the detailed policies. MEPs are most likely to respond to a personal letter or e-mail.
How does the EU make decisions?
There are three key components of EU governance:
European Commission
This is the executive and administrative branch of the EU. It is divided into departments or Directorate Generals (DG), such as DG Justice (including Gender Equality), DG Employment and Social Affairs and DG Growth (previously called DG Industry and Enterprises). It initially proposes and drafts legislation, often after a request from Council (see below). The political
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
head of each DG is the Commissioner, who is in many ways the equivalent of a Government Minister. See http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
Council
The Council is the made up of Ministers from the Member State governments, and acts as one of the two chambers of EU decision making. Each subject area has a separate Council of Ministers, for example Environment Ministers make up the Environment Council. The presidency of the Council rotates every six months; the country with the presidency has the responsibility to chair all council meetings during this period, and set the agendas. See http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/
European Parliament
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by the people of Europe every five years.
Each EU Member State has an allocation of seats. There are currently 751 MEPs. For most EU decisions, the European Parliament acts as the other of the two chambers of EU decision making. There are a few exceptions, for example agricultural spending, where decisions are made entirely by Council. MEPs organise themselves into political groups, and also into committees for different topics to enable effective scrutiny of legislation. See http://www.europarl.europa.eu/portal/en
How the EU works?
Guidance:
http://europa.eu/about-eu/index_en.htm, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/en/displayFtu.html
How is EU legislation created?
There are two main types of legislation:
Directives which must be incorporated into Member State law. Regulations which are immediately legally binding in all Member States.
Most EU legislation is passed through the co-decision process. First the Commission drafts a proposal. Both the Parliament and the Council discuss, amend and vote on the proposal through two readings and sometimes a final conciliation process. By the end of the processes, the Council and the Parliament must have reached an agreement on the final proposal, which then enters into law on publication in the EU’s Official Journal.
Reference of the above: Friends of the Earth – “How to: lobby your MEP”
II. How to get in contact with your MEP?
A. Identify your MEPs
1. You already know the name of (your) MEP(s)
Look up by name, country, political bodies, group and constituency: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search.html
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Business Professional Women Europe – BPW EC aisbl –Transparency Register: 836392015840-91
2. You do not know your MEP(s)
Look up first by country: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/map.html (Choose your country)
3. You need to start contacting (your) MEP(s)
Contact MEPs from specific Committees Look up at European Parliament Committees: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/home.html# (Choose your committee)
e.g.: Contact your MEPs from Women's rights and Gender Equality Committee called FEMM: (Select Member)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/femm/members.html
P.S.: When you want to read the webpage in your mother tongue (on the left side top, you can choose one of the 23 languages)
B. Write to your identified MEP
1. Identify yourself (Name and Entity’s interest) 2. Inform your MEP about BPW (history, work, activities and number of members) 3. Inform your MEP about your BPW Federation/club (history, activities, work and
number of members) 4. Inform your MEP about the purpose of your contact (already in the object and title
of your email) 5. Ask your MEP about his/her work in terms of gender equality at
Regional/European level 6. Offer your support - knowledge - experience - data - contribution (e.g. over
brochures, websites, documents, data, ...) 7. Ask for a visit and/or exchange of information (e.g. Propose to keep informed on
BPW work and actions) 8. Propose to maintain the contact 9. Sign (Name and contact details) 10. Never forget to send in your signature BPW Europe - Transparency Register
Number
C. Keep the contact
1. Call your MEP, if you have not received any reply by email (after one week to 3 weeks max.)
2. Inform ECC, BPW Europe Coordinator and EU Policy Advisors of your contact with MEP(s)
3. Keep and Maintain your contact with MEPs (sent them all new activities having an impact on their work when available)
4. Meet your MEPs (in your Region/Country or in Brussels)
D. Any Questions
Contact:
Miette Dechelle & Susana Binder: [email protected] & susanabinder@bpw-
europe.org or
Henrike von Platen: [email protected]
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
TITLE OF RESOLUTION: Streamlining the Equal Pay Day Campaign Across Europe
This resolution is about: a unified approach for the Equal Pay Day campaign across Europe, as today BPW Federations and affiliate Clubs use different methods to calculate and interpret the Equal Pay Day.
Text of resolution:
The Presidents of BPW Federations and Affiliate Clubs,
WHEREAS,
(1) The Equal Pay Day has been initiated by the American BPW sisters in 1988 as the Red Purse Campaign underlining the red numbers in women’s purses and calling attention to the persisting gender pay gap. The idea behind this campaign already originates in the early 1960s when various women’s organisations, including the Business and Professional Women, fought for an Equal Pay Act in the US, which President Kennedy finally signed in 1963;
(2) The actual campaign around the Equal Pay Day has been brought to Europe by BPW Germany in 2008. In 2009, the International Federation of Business and Professional Women launched the global Equal Pay Day campaign in New York. Since then, more countries join the campaign every year. Now, more than 30 countries are active in promoting equal pay for equal work and work of equal value across the globe;
(3) The Equal Pay Day campaign stays at the heart of the activities of BPW Europe and affiliate Federations and Clubs;
(4) The Equal Pay Day campaign reaches due to BPW’s efforts a large number of citizens, politicians and companies as well as is widely displayed in the media across Europe;
(5) The Equal Pay Day campaign has suffered from a lack of uniform appearance due to differences in interpretations and in the basis of the calculation;
(6) The calculation of the Equal Pay Day has been under direct pressure due to a mathematically misleading interpretation;
(7) The gender pay gap stays at a persistently high level over time and across Europe;
(8) The gender pay gap encompasses major challenges towards gender quality and reconciliation of work and family life, such as the question of working time, working hours, wage negotiations, company cultures as well as women missing in certain industries and positions;
DECIDE
To unify the Equal Pay Day campaign across Europe
a. To commonly use the following calculation method:
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
The Equal Pay Day is calculation based on the unadjusted gender pay gap in a given country times 365 days of the year. The number of days women work for free is calculated. The Equal Pay Day is based on the number of the days and counted from January 1.
Example: GPG of 20 per cent x 365 days per year = women work 73 days for free >> the Equal Pay Day is on March 14.
b. To commonly use the following interpretation of the date:
The EPD marks the day, on which women start to earn, whereas men start to earn their wage on January 1, if both women and men start to work on January 1 of a given year.
Or stated differently, the Equal Pay Day shows the period a man would not need to work, to achieve nevertheless the same annual income like a woman with the currently existing structures of income.
Both the calculation and the interpretation can be found via http://www.equalpay.wiki/Berechnung_des_Equal_Pay_Day.
A calendar showing all European and in parts international Equal Pay Days is available via http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:Equal_Pay_Day.
More information on the calculation and interpretation can be found in the background paper distributed attached to this resolution.
If adopted, this resolution should take effect from: (Please indicate when this resolution should be implemented)
Immediate effect
Rationale:
The calculation of the EPD based on the women’s average hourly income – the Equal Pay Day marks the day, until which women have to work longer to earn the same money as men the year before – provides an explanation easy to communicate; however, mathematically, this interpretation of the Equal Pay Day is misleading. In addition, communicating just another number or index to measure the inequality of women and men may be both complicated and contested. Every year, organisers of the Equal Pay Day in Europe are accused of not being able to calculate the correct date because mathematically contradicting interpretations of the date are part of the public discourse.
Furthermore, the calculation of the Equal Pay Day differs across Europe. Most of the countries take the gender pay gap published by Eurostat and the national statistical offices to calculate the EPD on the basis of the 365 days of the year. Other countries calculated the Equal Pay Day on the basis of working days only, thus excluding weekends and public holidays beforehand. Again others differentiate between the Equal Pay Day in spring and the EPD in autumn. As a result, different methods of calculation are currently applied within Europe.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
In a nutshell, the usage of different calculations, interpretations and times undermines the full potential of the European-wide and international campaign. Without a coherent calculation and interpretation used by all participants in the campaign, the external communication of the Equal Pay Day is debilitated.
Implementation process: (Please indicate which are, according to you, the steps to take to put this resolution in action – who should be doing what)
All Federations and Clubs use the above mentioned formula to calculate the Equal Pay Day and to communicate the meaning of the day.
The ultimate effect of this resolution is symbolic by using a unified approach to a shared campaign and to give the Equal Pay Day a strong stance all over Europe.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Page 1 of 7
How to…
…set the Equal Pay Day Business and Professional Women (BPW) Europe is a women’s organisation representing 20,000 business women across Europe, advocating for Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities worldwide since 1930. BPW Europe is part of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, which was founded in 1930 in Geneva by Dr Lena Madesin Phillips. Until today, the federation has grown to an international network of 30,000 members on five continents in 100 countries. BPW International has consultative status at the ECOSOC/United Nations. Furthermore, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through our mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. The Equal Pay Day has been initiated by the American BPW sisters in 1988 as the Red Purse Campaign underlining the red numbers in women’s purses and calling attention to the persisting gender pay gap. The idea behind this campaign already originates in the early 1960s when various women’s organisations, including the Business and Professional Women, fought for an Equal Pay Act in the US, which President Kennedy finally signed in 1963. The actual campaign around the Equal Pay Day has been brought to Europe by BPW Germany in 2008. In 2009, the International Federation of Business and Professional Women launched the global Equal Pay Day campaign in New York. Since then, more countries join the campaign every year.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Page 2 of 7
1. THE EQUAL PAY DAY The Equal Pay Day marks the day, on which women start to earn, whereas men already started to earn their wage on January 1 of a given year, if both women and men start to work on January 1 of a given year. Thus, women work for free from January 1 until the Equal Pay Day. Or stated differently, the Equal Pay Day shows the period a man would not need to work, to achieve nevertheless the same annual income like a woman with the currently existing structures of income. Other interpretations of the Equal Pay Day, such as the EPD marks the day until which women have to work longer to earn the same money as men the year before, are misleading. For this particular interpretation, one would have to calculate the gender pay gap on the basis of the women’s average hourly income. However, the gender pay gap is calculated, by e.g. Eurostat, on the basis of the men’s average hourly income. Therefore, it is essential to stick to a uniform, consistent and mathematically correct calculation and interpretation of the Equal Pay Day. For the exact calculation and difference in the data of the Equal Pay Day see Section 5. 2. CALCULATION OF THE EQUAL PAY DAY The Equal Pay Day is calculated using the following formula:
If the days women work for free are calculated, count these days from January 1 onwards into spring and you land on the Equal Pay Day.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
Page 3 of 7
3. TOOLKIT FOR THE EQUAL PAY DAY Today, the Equal Pay Day takes place in countries all over the world and activities are growing every year. The BPW has managed to set the topic of equal pay both on the political and media agendas, thereby, fostered the general public debate on the issue. Furthermore, the BPW achieved that the gender pay gap is not questioned in its entirety anymore, but accepted as a societal problem that has to be acted upon. Despite the fact that the extent of the gap is heavily discussed, acknowledging the problem is a first step in solving it. However, in neither country, equal pay has been reached, hence we have to continue with the Equal Pay Day campaign and foster our engagement to make equal pay reality – worldwide. Find here a selection of possible activities that also may well be combined. Please not that this list is not exhaustive and many other activities for the Equal Pay Day are welcomed. > Display the Equal Pay Day logo and the red bags symbolizing the red numbers in women’s pockets. The logo can be downloaded from the following website: http://www.equalpayday.de/presse/ or http://www.equalpayday.org/brochures.html > Produce information material on the gender pay gap and related challenges in your country. This may include leaflets, brochure, journals, postcards, and the like. > Use other material to make the campaign as visible as possible. These materials could include flags, red bags, t-shirts, balloons, umbrellas, etc. > Invite politicians to support your activities and to set equal pay and gender equality on the political agenda of your country. Politicians are eager to discuss with you, while you present politicians a stage to enter into debate. > Invite representatives of companies to your events. The representatives can share their best practices on how they promote gender equality and foster women’s representation in their company. > Besides politicians and company representatives, partner organisations, such as other NGOs, trade unions or women’s networks, which are active within the field of gender equality may be invited and included in your activities. Building strong networks of organisations underlines the importance of an issue at hand and increases the number of people targeted with your activities. Please note that we, as BPW, do not lose our identity, on the contrary, through collaboration our voices get heard much louder. > Furthermore, you might be looking beyond what is happening. Other organisations are also active. Use such opportunities to inform yourself, discuss as well as to present you organisation and network. As already mentioned above, a strong network demanding equal pay is crucial is reaching your goal step by step. > Involve media and media representatives to come to your events. The campaign in Europe has seen growing media coverage every year. Thus, the topic of equal pay has reached the midst of public debate. In order to keep the current pace, media coverage should stay as high as possible. > Social media campaigns are a good way to easily spread the word on your campaign to a large number of interested people. Through direct and regular social media activities, new target groups for the activities can be reached. These activities may range from posting to particular topics, to invite people to share information or to post a statement or picture. Social media activities do not have to be large in dimensions, but be more specific and specifically branded, e.g. using a distinct hashtag. > You might also chose a particular topic within the frame of the gender pay gap, such as one of the reasons behind the gap. The advantages of choosing a particular topic are manifold: first, the discussion on the Equal Pay Day changes every year showing the intriguing diversity of the issue. Second, you identify various fields to take action. Third, you can involve different actors in the field in
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
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your activities. And there are many more ideas why to choose a particular theme for you Equal Pay Day. > Last, but not least: Have your say! Use your activities to present your own positions on the matter of equal pay as BPW and to inform what BPW is and does in your region. > Important note: the idea and the campaign of the Equal Pay Day have spread across the world and many interested citizens and organisation have picked up the idea and stood up for equal pay. Despite the success of the idea and campaign, it is important to underline that the campaign has been brought to life by BPW. Therefore, it is essential to communicate that the EPD has been initiated BPW, e.g. through a line under the logo mentioning BPW or using the EPD and BPW logos in combination. When giving statements or interviews, always mention BPW and your role in calling for equal pay. Ultimately, the Equal Pay Day campaign is a flagship of BPW and worth spreading the word on both equal pay and BPW. 4. KEY FIGURES This section encompasses a short description of the key figures, their underlying causes and limitations.
a. GENDER PAY GAP The following graph shows the data for the gender pay gap across Europe. What cannot be seen but is still under discussion: the pay gap does not show significant variation over time, but stays at a persistently high level over time and across Europe.
Figure 1: Gender Pay Gap in Unadjusted Form, 2014, Source: Eurostat
The countries with a low gender pay gap do not necessarily perform much better than countries with a higher gap because these countries tend to have also a low female labour market participation rate, thus, the research basis of women comparing to men and their respective incomes is much smaller. Neither country in Europe or across the globe has managed so far to ensure equal pay for women and men.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
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b. REASONS OF THE GENDER PAY GAP Main reasons behind the gap are – among others – that women tend to work in lower-paid industries or economic branches, work more often part-time and interrupt their careers more often and longer than men to raise their children. Furthermore, the lack of women at the top of the career ladder amplifies the problem of the gender pay gap. Interestingly, these challenges are shared among all European countries despite all their differences. Main strategies to overcome the pay gap are manifold. Yet, it should be noted that the issue of unequal pay is highly complex in its nature, thus, a one-size-fits-all or a single strategy may not fetch the actual problem. In this regard, many interlinked strategies have to address the various aspects of the pay gap. These strategies to combat the wage gap include:
> Transparency of wages, as knowledge is power; > Minimum wages; > Building and extending day care facilities, especially for children under the age of three; > Mixing industries and branches in the economy; > Facilitating a family-friendly culture in companies; > Promoting women on boards; > Reforming parental leave systems and promoting paternal leave; > Increasing the value of female-dominated branches in the labour market; > Reforming working times, i.e. the number of hours worked or flexibility arrangements.
c. TOTAL EARNINGS GAP As the Gender Pay Gap only displays a rather small picture with regard to women in the labour market, the European Commission has combined the Gender Pay Gap with two other indicators – the Labour Market Participation Rate of Women and the Gender Time Gap. The compilation of the indicators shows a rather different picture. It can be generally seen that the gaps are higher. Furthermore, a significant note is that the gender pay gap does not display differences in other areas than wages. Hence, countries having a small pay gap may still face severe gender gap. Other countries with a high pay gap may perform better in other areas.
Figure 2: Total Earnings Gap and its Components, Source: European Commission and Eurostat
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5. CALCULATION OF THE GENDER PAY GAP The Equal Pay Day shows the period a man would not need to work, to achieve nevertheless the same annual income like a woman with the currently existing structures of income. Or stated differently, the EPD marks the day, on which women start to earn, whereas men start to earn their wage on January 1, if both women and men start to work on January 1 of a given year. Other interpretations of the Equal Pay Day, such as the EPD marks the day, until which women have to work longer to earn the same money as men the year before, are misleading. For this particular interpretation, one has to calculate the gender pay gap on the basis of the women’s average hourly income. However, the gender pay gap is calculated, by e.g. Eurostat, on the basis of the men’s average hourly income. Example for Germany:
Gender Pay Gap based on men’s average hourly income: ��� _ � � = ∅ � � −∅ � �∅ � � ×
In Germany, the Gender Pay Gap is 21% (2015). 21% of 365 days are 77 days. The EPD in 2017 will take place on March 18.
Gender Pay Gap based on women’s average hourly income: ����_ � � = |∅ � � −∅ � �∅ � � × |
In Germany, the Gender Pay Gap based on women’s income is 27%. Calculating the day until women have to work to earn the same wage as men the year before is based on the gap of 27% and translated accordingly into 99 days. Using this calculation, the EPD would be on April 9, 2017.
The calculation of the EPD based on the women’s average hourly income provides an explanation easy to communicate; however, mathematically, this interpretation of the Equal Pay Day can be misleading. In addition, communicating just another number or index to measure the inequality of women and men may be both complicated and contested.
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6. FURTHER LINKS European Commission (2016). Gender Pay Gap. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/index_en.htm European Commission (2015). Equal Pay? It’s Time to Close the Gap. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/gender-equality/infographs/equal-pay-day-2015/equal-pay-day/index_en.html European Commission (2016). Magnitude and Impact Factors of the Gender Pay Gap in EU Countries. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/gender_pay_gap/2016_factors_gpg_en.pdf European Institute for Gender Equality (2015). Gender Equality Index. http://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/gender-equality-index European Institute for Gender Equality (2016). Gender Statistics. http://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs Glassdoor (2016). Global Gender Gap Survey. https://press-content.glassdoor.com/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/GD_Survey_GlobalGenderPayGap.pdf?_ga=1.144100989.990027125.1456910992 World Economic Forum (2015). Global Gender Gap Report 2015. http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2015/ McKinsey (2016). Women Matter. http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/women-matter BPW Europe: http://bpw-europe.org/ BPW International – Equal Pay Day Taskforce: http://www.equalpayday.org/ Equal Pay Wiki: http://www.equalpay.wiki/Hauptseite All included countries can be found via http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:L%C3%A4nder All articles in English can be found here http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:Articles_in_English
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Equal Pay Day 2016
A Compilation of Events across Europe Business and Professional Women (BPW) Europe is a women’s organisation representing 20,000 business women across Europe, advocating for Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities worldwide since 1930. BPW Europe is part of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, which was founded in 1930 in Geneva by Dr Lena Madesin Phillips. Until today, the federation has grown to an international network of 30,000 members on five continents in 100 countries. BPW International has consultative status at the ECOSOC/United Nations. Furthermore, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through our mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. The Equal Pay Day has been initiated by the American BPW sisters in 1988 as the Red Purse Campaign underlining the red numbers in women’s purses and calling attention to the persisting gender pay gap. The idea behind this campaign already originates in the early 1960s when various women’s organisations, including the Business and Professional Women, fought for an Equal Pay Act in the US, which President Kennedy finally signed in 1963. The actual campaign around the Equal Pay Day has been brought to Europe by BPW Germany in 2008. In 2009, the International Federation of Business and Professional Women launched the global Equal Pay Day campaign in New York. Since then, more countries join the campaign every year.
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1. KEY FIGURES ON THE GENDER PAY GAP The following graph shows the data for the gender pay gap across Europe. What cannot be seen but is still under discussion: the pay gap does not show significant variation over time, but stays at a persistently high level over time and across Europe.
Table 1: Gender Pay Gap in Unadjusted Form, 2014, Source: Eurostat
The countries with a low gender pay gap do not necessarily perform much better than countries with a higher gap because these countries tend to have also a low female labour market participation rate, thus, the research basis of women comparing to men and their respective incomes is much smaller. Neither country in Europe or across the globe has managed so far to ensure equal pay for women and men. Main reasons behind the gap are – among others – that women tend to work in lower-paid industries or economic branches, work more often part-time and interrupt their careers more often and longer than men to raise their children. Furthermore, the lack of women at the top of the career ladder amplifies the problem of the gender pay gap. Interestingly, these challenges are shared among all European countries despite all their differences. Main strategies to overcome the pay gap are manifold. Yet, it should be noted that the issue of unequal pay is highly complex in its nature, thus, a one-size-fits-all or a single strategy may not fetch the actual problem. In this regard, many interlinked strategies have to address the various aspects of the pay gap. These strategies to combat the wage gap include:
> Transparency of wages, as knowledge is power; > Minimum wages; > Building and extending day care facilities, especially for children under the age of three; > Mixing industries and branches in the economy; > Facilitating a family-friendly culture in companies; > Promoting women on boards; > Reforming parental leave systems and promoting paternal leave; > Increasing the value of female-dominated branches in the labour market; > Reforming working times, i.e. the number of hours worked or flexibility arrangements.
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2. THE EQUAL PAY DAY The Equal Pay Day shows the period a man would not need to work, to achieve nevertheless the same annual income like a woman with the currently existing structures of income. Or stated differently, the EPD marks the day, on which women start to earn, whereas men start to earn their wage on January 1, if both women and men start to work on January 1 of a given year. Other interpretations of the Equal Pay Day, such as the EPD marks the day until which women have to work longer to earn the same money as men the year before, are misleading. For this particular interpretation, one has to calculate the gender pay gap on the basis of the women’s average hourly income. However, the gender pay gap is calculated, by e.g. Eurostat, on the basis of the men’s average hourly income. For the exact calculation and difference in the data of the Equal Pay Day see Annex 1. 3. ACTIVITIES ON THE EQUAL PAY DAY In general terms, many activities both on federation and club level have taken place on the Equal Pay Days in approx. 20 countries all over Europe. On the EPD, large amounts of adapted materials, such as leaflets, brochure, red bags and flags have been distributed across the participating countries. In most of the participating countries, the gender pay gap and its consequences has been focussed on during the discussion. Also strategies on how to combat the gender pay gap in companies, such as trough transparency mechanisms, have been placed on the agenda. All activities and participants called for equal pay for equal work and work of equal value. Only a few countries have organised the EPD activities under a specific thematic frame. Here, BPW Malta has organised the EPD in collaboration with schools focussing on career choices for girls and labour market participation. BPW Germany asked ‘What is the value of my work?’ during its campaign. This year’s media focus has been wide-ranging and increasing in comparison to past years. So far, every year has experienced an increase in media coverage. In many of the countries, the theme of equal pay has reached the centre of debate in societies. Not only traditional media channels, such as newspapers, radio, TV broadcasting and interviews, have been used to spread the word on equal pay and the EPD. Social media channels, especially Facebook and Twitter, are increasingly used to spread the word on equal pay. Complementary to the communication activities, numerous events have taken place in various European countries. These events range from demonstrations, conferences, seminars, discussion rounds, activities on the streets (distributing information and campaign materials) as well as events organised by BPW clubs in numerous cities. Approx. 1,000 activities have taken place in Germany alone creating an immense media interest.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EQUAL PAY DAY CAMPAIGN 2016: (Selection of activities; all activities in the various countries are listed in the annex 2 of the report) BPW AUSTRIA In Vienna, BPW Austria participated at a national congress at the House of the European Union, which was held under the slogan “Equal pay: Right away!”. Several members from various clubs in Austria were also present to support the team of BPW Austria in its effort to inspire people attending the venue to join the elaborate team of BPW. BPW Austria President Christa Kirchmair was able to present a lecture on the organisation and the work of BPW and specifically how BPW Austria brought the Equal Pay Day to Austria. In the country, BPW clubs tried to familiarise especially adolescents on the issue of equal pay for equal work by a school lecture. To catch the attention of the public eye, a lot of members proudly wore the red equal pay day linen bags during the whole week around the Equal Pay Day. For the time in between this year’s Equal Pay Day and next year’s, BPW Austria is working on launching a think tank on the issues of equal pay, which should in the future provide the public with the information and statistics behind the Equal Pay Day. This in an effort to become the number one address in Austria to go to when information on the issue of equal pay is needed and also to be able to share the information gathered during the years. BPW CYPRUS Under the theme ’16 % Pay Gap in Cyprus – Equal Pay for Men and Women’, BPW Cyprus held various events in all cities of Cyprus, namely Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. Here, leaflets were distributed by our members and people informed about the pay gap in Cyprus at prime locations TV spot was created and aired at the main TV channel where the President of BPW Cyprus and other members were interviewed. Meetings with officials were held at the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Labour and the Cyprus Industrialists Federation alerting them on the pay gap.
Photo 2: Equal Pay Day in Cyprus
BPW ESTONIA Around 80 restaurants, cafes, pubs served meals with dill 28.3 per cent pricier than meals without dill. The Estonian word for dill is used as word game to call attention to the pay gap. The campaign has been extended to shoe and leather stores where red bags have been placed in the windows on the EPD and if possible the shops gave some discount for women. The campaign has been extended to five days instead of one day as in previous years. There also has been a debate and several meetings organised. BPW FINLAND Besides the dissemination of information material on equal pay, BPW Finland initiated that, on EPD, Equal Pay Postcards have been send to the members of the Parliament and the Prime Minister claiming equal pay for equal work and work of equal value. BPW FRANCE
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BPW France held conferences and distributed flyers and red bags on the Equal Pay Day in each BPW clubs. Under the theme ‘Even with Glasses, the 24% Pay Gap Remains’, BPW France issued a Tumblr campaign. Using the hashtag #egalisemoi, especially young women were motivated to post their photos and statements on gender equality and equal pay. BPW GERMANY The Equal Pay Day in Germany was held on March 19, 2016. Under the theme JOBS WITH A FUTURE. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF MY WORK?, the value and remuneration of female-dominate care work and the effects of career choices in the life course have been debated. The red EPD flags could be found across Germany and around the Victory Column in Berlin. From there, BPW Germany has started the ‘triumphal march of equal pay’. The Equal Pay Day has been celebrated across Germany with more than 1,000 events and steadily expanding media coverage. In Germany, the gender pay gap stays at a rather high level of 21 per cent (2015) – Germany ranking among the poorest performers in the EU.
Photo 3: Equal Pay Day Forum with Manuela Schwesig, Minister
for Family Affairs, and Henrike von Platen, President BPW Germany
Photo 4: Equal Pay Day Flags around the Victory Column in
Berlin
BPW ITALY Events on the Equal Pay Day have been held across the whole country. Conventions have been organised with the participation of political authorities in Genova, Milano, Catania and Potenza. Red bags have been distributed at the Genova exchange stock market. School have also been engaged to start rising awareness as early as possible.
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Photo 5: Equal Pay Day in Italy - The Power of Red Bags
Photo 6: Invitation to one of the Equal Pay Day Events in
Monza, Italy
BPW PRAHA II BPW Praha II organised a two-day conference with 57 mentors, 23 speakers and special guests, 10 coaches and more than 1,000 participants. The conference is intended for women who are interested in affecting changes in their own lives as well as those who wish to contribute to improve the lives of other women and ultimately conduce to changes in society. "Happy" 7
th edition of the eventful
conference WOMEN TO THEMSELVES – the conference grew every year and is an attractive event not only for the media but also for women in general and for public sector as well. BPW SWITZERLAND Activities were organised in 26 Swiss cities. This year’s theme covered a new law on equal pay. For this purpose, BPW Switzerland partnered with other interested bodies and published an argumentarium that explains in detail the proposed law and its effects on the gender pay gap in Switzerland. BPW SPAIN In Spain, BPW clubs organised professional meeting on equal pay to discuss best practices and networking. Furthermore, press conferences were held, and in seminars, participants learned on how to enforce equal pay as entrepreneurs and in companies.
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Photo 7: Equal Pay Day in Spain
All activities can also be found in Annex 2 of this document and the Equal Pay Wiki via http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:L%C3%A4nder 4. ACTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
a. EUROPEAN EQUAL PAY DAY The European Commission has moved the Equal Pay Day from spring to autumn in 2015. The European Equal Pay Day has been held on November 2, 2015, indicating that women stop earning on this day and work for free until the end of the year. BPW Europe reacted timely to these plans and filed letters to the European Commission, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová, in order to ask for information on this matter. This is of particular importance, as BPW not only initiated the campaign around the EPD, but also calculates the different dates of the EPD in the European Countries. In moving the date of the Equal Pay Day, the European Commission breaks the campaign around the Equal Pay Day into two parts – the one being organised in autumn and the other in spring. Thereby, the campaign loses its symbolic value and coherence as well as forfeits its actual target.
b. STRATEGY FOR GENDER EQUALITY By the end of 2015, the Strategy for Gender Equality expired, yet, no successor strategy has been decided upon. The Strategy for Gender Equality has given a clear framework for promoting gender equality within the European Union, which has been decided upon by the European Council. In 2016, the European Commission published a strategic framework to foster gender equality
1;
however, this paper presents an internal working document for the European Commission itself and has not been voted upon in the European Council. Hence, a full-fledged strategy on gender equality is currently not in place notwithstanding all the voices stating their favour for a new strategy. Already in early 2015, the European Commission initiated a public consultation procedure, which has clearly shown that the majority of participants demand a successor strategy, as gender equality continues to stay high on the political agenda. In addition, experts have clearly spoken in favour of a new strategy despite all shortcomings the old strategy encompassed, such as the lacking sanctioning mechanisms in case of non-compliance.
2
1 European Commission (2015). Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/document/files/strategic_engagement_en.pdf 2 ENEGE (2015). Visions for Gender Equality. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/vision_report_en.pdf
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BPW Europe has also in this matter written letters to the European Commission emphasising that a new strategy for gender equality between women and men is crucial, as full gender equality could not been established in any of the European countries so far. By downgrading the strategy to an internal working document, the European Commission calls gender equality as one of the founding pillars of the European Community into question. 5. CONCLUDING REMARKS Next year, the Equal Pay Day campaign in Europe turns ten years old. BPW Germany celebrated the first Equal Pay Day on European grounds in 2008 and will organise a jubilee congress for the 10
th
anniversary. However, the reason for celebrating remains ambivalent. The gender pay gap has been stagnating across Europe. No country has made significant advancements. The actions to decrease the pay gap are manifold, yet, fragmented. The gender pay gap has a large number of causes that are complex and interrelated. Thus, tackling the causes may only affect parts of the gap. In contrast to that, eliminating the gender pay gap as such basically solves all challenges that arise with enforcing gender equality. Therefore, continuing to claim equal pay for equal work and work of equal value is essential for gender equality, despite the slow progress in closing the gender pay gap. Still, the campaign around the Equal Pay Day in Europe is growing every year. The awareness for interlinked issues on gender equality is constantly rising. The topic of equal pay and gender equality has reached the centre of societal debates. Therefore, we have to keep the pace of our activities and further expand our reach. We have to keep asking on how to turn equal pay into practice, on how to motivate men to take action and on how to transform rigid company cultures into open spaces. Equal pay is not a topic that only targets women – equal pay is beneficial for the economy and society across Europe. Let us close with a quote by Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, on the need to enforce equal pay.
“It’s 2015. It’s time!”
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6. FURTHER LINKS European Commission (2016). Gender Pay Gap. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/index_en.htm European Commission (2015). Equal Pay? It’s Time to Close the Gap. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/gender-equality/infographs/equal-pay-day-2015/equal-pay-day/index_en.html European Commission (2016). Magnitude and Impact Factors of the Gender Pay Gap in EU Countries. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/gender_pay_gap/2016_factors_gpg_en.pdf European Institute for Gender Equality (2015). Gender Equality Index. http://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/gender-equality-index Glassdoor (2016). Global Gender Gap Survey. https://press-content.glassdoor.com/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/GD_Survey_GlobalGenderPayGap.pdf?_ga=1.144100989.990027125.1456910992 World Economic Forum (2015). Global Gender Gap Report 2015. http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2015/ McKinsey (2016). Women Matter. http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/women-matter BPW Europe: http://bpw-europe.org/ Equal Pay Wiki: http://www.equalpay.wiki/Hauptseite All included countries can be found via http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:L%C3%A4nder All articles in English can be found here http://www.equalpay.wiki/Kategorie:Articles_in_English
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7. ANNEX
a. ANNEX 1: CALCULATION OF THE GENDER PAY GAP The Equal Pay Day shows the period a man would not need to work, to achieve nevertheless the same annual income like a woman with the currently existing structures of income. Or stated differently, the EPD marks the day, on which women start to earn, whereas men start to earn their wage on January 1, if both women and men start to work on January 1 of a given year. Other interpretations of the Equal Pay Day, such as the EPD marks the day, until which women have to work longer to earn the same money as men the year before, are misleading. For this particular interpretation, one has to calculate the gender pay gap on the basis of the women’s average hourly income. However, the gender pay gap is calculated, by e.g. Eurostat, on the basis of the men’s average hourly income. Example for Germany:
Gender Pay Gap based on men’s average hourly income: ��� _ � � = ∅ � � −∅ � �∅ � � ×
In Germany, the Gender Pay Gap is 21% (2015). 21% of 365 days are 77 days. The EPD in 2017 will take place on March 18.
Gender Pay Gap based on women’s average hourly income: ����_ � � = |∅ � � −∅ � �∅ � � × |
In Germany, the Gender Pay Gap based on women’s income is 27%. Calculating the day until women have to work to earn the same wage as men the year before is based on the gap of 27% and translated accordingly into 99 days. Using this calculation, the EPD would be on April 9, 2017.
The calculation of the EPD based on the women’s average hourly income provides an explanation easy to communicate; however, mathematically, this interpretation of the Equal Pay Day can be misleading. In addition, communicating just another number or index to measure the inequality of women and men may be both complicated and contested.
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b. LIST OF EPD ACTIVITIES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Federation / Associated
club Date of your EPD Actions planned (cities, activities, …) Digital communication
Do you have a specific topic?
Contact person (name and email)
BPW Finland
March 8, 2016 Equal Pay Postcards to the members of the Parliament and Prime Minister
http://www.bpw-finland.fi/# Ritva Kattelus [email protected]
Autumn 2016 Dissemination of Equal Pay material in the centre of Helsinki
BPW Tampere (Finland)
March 11, 2016 Dissemination of Equal Pay bags in a shopping centre in Tampere
BPW Praha II March 18 & 19,
2016
Prague, two days conference with 57 mentors, 23 speakers and special guests, 10 coaches, more than 1,000 participants
http://www.equalpayday.cz/ http://eurogender.eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/Czech%20Rep_EPD%202016%20in%20EN.pdf
The conference is intended for women who are interested in affecting changes in their own lives as well as those who wish to contribute to improve the lives of other women and ultimately conduce to changes in society.
Helena Dreiseitlova Helena.Dreiseitlova@ bpwcr.cz
BPW Estonia
April 13, 2016 8 towns, information leaflets, campaign info Facebook, survey through FB
Salaries to be public Angela Ventsel Aangela.ventsel@ gmail.com April 11 – 15, 2016
Around 80 restaurants, cafes, pubs will serve meals with dill 28.3 % pricier than meals without dill. We have extended our campaign to shoe and leather stores and have asked to display red bags on the EPD and if possible make some discount for women. Our campaign is extended for 5 days instead of one day as on previous years. There is going to be a debate and several meetings also.
http://www.bpw-estonia.ee/tilliga-ja-tillita
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BPW Cyprus March 5, 2016
Events were held in all cities of Cyprus namely Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos at prime locations, leaflets were distributed by our members and people informed about the pay gap in Cyprus. TV spot was created and aired at the main TV channel and others, our President and other members of the Board were interviewed at 2 main TV channels. Meetings were held at the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Labour and Cyprus Industrialists Federation alerting them on the pay gap and press releases were issued by all of them.
TV spot on main TV channels and also through BPW Cyprus Facebook pages http://bpwcyprus.org.cy/?p=645
16 % pay gap in Cyprus Equal pay for men and women
Mary Papadopoulou President BPW Cyprus [email protected]
Rita Kotsapa [email protected]
BPW Belgium March 13, 2016 visits to several enterprises to present the equalpacE web tool to HR managers
memory stick with logo BPW and EPD
Is there a pay gap in your company?
Christine Dujardin [email protected]
BPW Switzerland
February 24, 2016
actions in 26 cities
Website: www.equalpayday.ch
2016: supporting the project of a new law in consultation with interested bodies. Purpose is that enterprises check their pay politics and publish it. Read more on www.equalpayday.ch (in French, German, Italian)
Cathy Savioz [email protected] [email protected] phone 0041 22 734 60 46
At national level: publication of an argumentary on Equal Pay. Available online at www.equalpayday.ch
From May 2016: Annette Nimzik [email protected]
BPW France March 29, 2016 Conferences, EPD flyers and red bag distribution in each BPW club in France.
Tumblr campaign #egalisemoi and motivating young women to post photos with specific wordings
even with glasses, the 24% pay gap remains
[email protected] or [email protected]
BPW Germany March 19, 2016 Around 1.000 activities across Germany Large media interest
www.equalpayday.de Facebook and Twitter #EPD2016 www.equalpay.wiki
Jobs with Future. What is the Value of My Work?
BPW Ireland February 22, 2016 BPW Galway: coffee morning, which was attended by Senator Fidelma Healy Eames and TD Hildegard Naughton.
Facebook and website Press releases
Jean F. Durkin presidentbpwireland@ gmail.com
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BPW Tullamore: coffee meeting to inform members on equal pay and EPD
BPW Spain
February 29, 2016 Age/BPW Girona: Professional meetings on equal pay and EPD
Facebook Bpw Spain Twitter @BpwSpain
Gender Pay Gap Amparo Martinez Miró [email protected]
February 22, 2016 FUNDE-BPW LLEIDA: Best Practices: Women's History and Success Women
February 22, 2016 BPW TARRAGONA: Impact activities, radio programme
February 22, 2016 evap/BPW Valencia: Information table, press conference, professional meeting, seminar on equality
February 22, 2016 asem/BPW Asturias: Impact media activities, professional meetings, seminar about the EPD in entrepreneurship organisations
February 28, 2016 Rem/Bpw Costa del Sol y campo de Gibraltar: Networking event
BPW Italy April 9, 2016
BPW Italy – North West District: Convention in Genova, large participation and engagement of political authorities
Website, Facebook, twitter, google+ online web pages and press release
Our Italian government did not declared a specific date for Italy's EDP – BPW presented a design for a change in law
Leda Mantovani (District North West President) Rosaria Bono (Club Genova President) and Marinella Accinelli (Club Genova President)
BPW Italy – North West District: Flash mob at the Genova exchange stock market with Red Bags
Large local coverage with photos and Italian communication team support for digital communication services
RED BAGS impact is great
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April 12 and 15, 2015
BPW Monza & Brianza: 3^ year awareness presentations in high schools
Italian communication team support for digital communication services and press release
How students perceive this issue is quite different than adults. They tend to associate it with the risk not to find appropriate jobs, for which they are ready to give up the right salary value.
Cairoli Paola (Monza and Brianza President)
April 23, 2016
BPW Italy – South East District: Convention in Potenza with the presence of authorities of the region and equal opportunities national reference.
Italian communication team support for digital communication services and press release
In south Italy, the lack of jobs is distracting from any other issue. Atypical work is creating a parallel job market which will create an unpredictable salary impact.
Fiammetta Perrone (South East District President) and Moliterni Lucia Potenza (Club President)
April 28, 2016 BPW Corona Ferrera – Milano: Official meeting to launch the convention that will be held in May
no digital communication, but creating awareness on club members
engage all club members to discuss and support the convention and create awareness
Schiaffelli Paola (Club President) - Leda Mantovani (District President)
May 25, 2016 BPW Corona Ferrera – Milano: Convention
May 2016 – tbd BPW Catania, Sicily: Convention
BPW Poland March 19, 2016 http://bpw-poland.org/programy/7
BPW Follo – Norway
March 8, 2016 BPW Follo organised a dinner for women who received an 18.8 % discount on their meals symbolising the pay gap.
http://www.follonettverk.no/equal-pay-day-2016/
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BPW Sweden
http://bpw.se/ekonomi/
BPW Valletta – Malta
Conference with attendance of the Prime Minister on career choices for young girls
https://www.facebook.com/BPWMalta
BPW Austria March 10, 2016
In Vienna BPW Austria participated at a national congress at the House of the European Union in Austria (Haus der Europäischen Union) which was held under the slogan “Equal pay: Right away!”. Several members from various clubs in Austria were also present to support the team of BPW Austria in its effort to inspire people attending the venue to join the elaborate team of BPW. BPW was also proud that BPW Austria President Christa Kirchmair was able to present a lecture on the organisation of BPW and the work of BPW and specifically of course how BPW Austria brought the equal pay day to Austria.
http://www.equalpayday.at/equal-pay-day https://de-de.facebook.com/equalpaydayaustria
Christa Kirchmair: [email protected] Hannah Heibl: [email protected]
In the country BPW clubs tried to familiarise especially adolescents on the issue of equal pay for equal work by a school lecture. To catch the attention of the public eye on the issue behind the equal pay day a lot of members proudly wore the red equal pay day linen bags during the whole week around the equal pay day. For the time in between this year’s equal pay day and next years, BPW Austria is working on the launch of a think tank on the issues of the equal pay day which should in the future provide the public with the information and statistics behind the equal pay day. This in an effort to become the number one address in Austria to go to when information on the issue of equal pay is needed and also to be able to share the information gathered during the years.
BPW INTERNATIONAL Business & Professional Women BPW Europe
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No data are available for the following BPW Federations and Affiliate Clubs: The absence of data does not necessarily indicate that now activities have been organised. In this regard, it shall be also noted that organising activities on the Equal Pay Day does not only depend on available resources, but also on a supportive political climate that may not be present in parts of Europe for the clubs and federations mentioned below.
BPW Federations
BPW United Kingdom
BPW Netherlands
BPW Turkey
BPW Affiliate Clubs
BPW Arad, Romania BPW Donetsk, Ukraine BPW Riga, Latvia
BPW Athens, Greece BPW Kiev, Ukraine BPW Sofia, Bulgaria
BPW Bratislava, Slovakia BPW Moscow 2, Russia BPW St. Petersburg, Russia
BPW Bucharest, Romania BPW Mykolaiv, Ukraine BPW St. Petersburg Neva, Russia
BPW Budapest, Hungary BPW Nis, Serbia BPW Tel Aviv, Israel
BPW Chernihiv, Ukraine BPW Pula, Croatia BPW Tomsk, Russia
BPW Chisinau, Moldova BPW Reykjavik, Iceland
