Gender Equality in a Changing World

Foreword

Sizeable gender gaps persist in economic, social, and political outcomes despite significant progress (and rising awareness) over the last century in member countries of the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-25 tackled many of these gender gaps through policy and legislative actions, with considerable success, yet challenges persist. Continued action – including via a new strategy – is needed to achieve full gender equality in the EU.

To support these efforts, the European Commission (EC) Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers partnered with the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (ELS) to map existing gender gaps and identify new ways to address structural gender inequalities in future policies in EU and OECD countries. The report presents the findings of this research, including a quantitative assessment of the state of gender equality in all 43 EU and OECD countries using surveys and administrative data; a review of cross-portfolio policies that advance gender equality with the aim of dismantling silos; a conceptual framework for evaluating and assessing the impact of legal, policy and budgetary measures on gender equality; and a list of recommendations for policy action.

Gender equality at the OECD

Gender equality is a strategic priority for the OECD and is mainstreamed in its work. The OECD regularly monitors progress and policy developments supporting gender equality in member and partner countries in a range of areas, including education and skills, employment, entrepreneurship, public life, as well as agriculture, development co-operation, digitalisation, energy, environment, finance, foreign direct investment, health, housing, justice, migration, social protection, taxation, technology, trade, transport and more. The 2013 OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship and 2015 OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life set out principles and measures for policy makers and stakeholders to address gender inequalities in their countries. The related stocktaking reports The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle (2017) and Joining Forces: What’s Holding us Back? (2023), as well as a range of country- and policy-specific reports, have helped advance member countries’ efforts to promote gender equality. Together with the ILO and UN Women, the OECD also constitutes the Secretariat of the multi-stakeholder Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), which calls for equal pay for work of equal value by 2030.

The OECD is also at the forefront of expanding the coverage of gender-sensitive data. It offers a range of statistical resources to analyse gender equality, such as the OECD Dashboard on Gender Gaps, the OECD Family Database, the OECD Going Digital Toolkit, the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), the Gender Equality at Work series, and data on official development assistance for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The OECD recently prepared the G7 Dashboard on Gender Gaps, including key indicators to track progress on gender equality in various areas.

This report – Gender Equality in a Changing World – presents a thorough stocktaking of gender equality outcomes and policies across EU and OECD countries using these extensive datasets, as well as through new data collection and policy mapping.