• English
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2021 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Inclusive Development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      6 March 2023 – Alghad.com – المؤتمر الدولي لمصادر المياه بعمان: تحديد للفرص القابلة للتنفيذ
      View article
      27 February 2023 – Huffington Post – “Nel Mediterraneo è sfida per l’energia, 250 progetti per portarla da Sud a Nord”
      View article
      18 February 2023 – The Jordan Times – Regional Transport Action Plan to propel shift towards sustainability — UfM official
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

Together towards the advancement of women

This article is part of the UfM Report: Visions and actions to promote gender equality in the Mediterranean

It is with great pleasure that I accept the challenge of contributing to this text for the Cairo Ministerial Conference on Women in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean – UfM. This Conference will gather representatives of Governments and civil society from a wide and heterogeneous regional area. Hence, this is a privileged space for debating the situation of women and a unique opportunity to deepen cooperation within the Mediterranean Countries from a Human Rights perspective.

Undoubtedly, it is not possible to consolidate Democracy without respect for the human rights of women. The process of establishing the democratic regime in Portugal (1974) was also an opportunity to break from the past regarding the situation of women. The Constitution of 1976, which established equality for women and men at all levels, has made a decisive contribution to this understanding and has made possible a new legal framework. This ensured not only that all people are equal before the law but also gave the State’s obligation to promote equality between women and men.

[ufm_quote]”The promotion of girls’ access to education in Portugal led to an equal participation of girls and boys throughout compulsory education, with the female illiteracy rate decreasing from 31% in 1970 to 6.8% in 2011.”[/ufm_quote]

However, despite the decisive importance of the Constitution and the law, de facto equality must still be ensured. Therefore, soon after the consolidation of democracy, a governmental mechanism was created in 1977 that, following successive reorganizations, gave rise to the current Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In Portugal, the CIG is responsible for implementing public policies to promote and protect gender equality, including policies to combat domestic and gender based violence as well as trafficking in human beings.

In order to achieve the above mentioned de facto gender equality, specific public policies have been developed and implemented since CIG’s inception based on the competences ascribed in its organic law. Since the 1990s it took on a more structured approach based on a succession of National Action Plans. Presently a new National Strategy for Gender Equality is being prepared with a broader and longer term approach following the 2030 Agenda for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The efforts made in the last 40 years to promote equality between women and men have resulted in a very significant improvement in the situation of women in Portugal in various fields. One of these fields is Education. The promotion of girls’ access to education led to an equal participation of girls and boys throughout compulsory education, with the female illiteracy rate decreasing from 31% in 1970 to 6.8% in 2011. As for higher education, currently almost two thirds (61%) of the Portuguese population with higher education are women.

As regards professional activity, which is a fundamental element for the economic independence of women, the Portuguese women’s participation in the labor market is among the highest in the European Union at 67.4% (2016). Another area where female representation was scarce is Civic and Political participation. In the first democratically elected parliament in 1975, the representation of women was only 8.9% and 1.9% cent in the first Government. Despite the improvement in the status of women in other areas of social life, politics continued to be a predominantly male activity until the adoption of the so-called Parity Law in 2006.

It was thus possible to reach the present values of 33% of women in the national Parliament elected in 2015. Currently the national Government has a representation of 30.5% of women. Also, with regard to the presence of women in economic decision-making this year a law was passed that establishes a minimum threshold of 33.3% for the underrepresented sex in managerial and supervisory bodies of public sector companies as well publicly traded companies.

Another relevant measure to fight inequality of responsibilities within the family was the adoption of legislation on parental leave to working parents, which recognizes the right of men to exercise their paternity rights granting them exclusive licenses since 1999, as well as the possibility of sharing parental leave with the mother of the child. The above mentioned measures are part of a holistic strategy to fight the gender stereotypes that define the roles attributed to women and men since their childhood.

Such social representations condition individuals’ choices throughout their lives in the personal, family and professional contexts. But it is within the educational system that there has been a greater effort to deconstruct these discriminatory gender stereotypes. An in depth and continuous work has been developed in what regards teachers training, the production of educational resources, as well as the revision of school curricula and provision of guidelines for school manuals’ editors with the purpose of promoting gender equality practices in education.

When talking about the progress in gender equality in Portugal it is also important to highlight the work that has been developed in combating gender based violence. This is a persistent problem that continues to affect Portuguese society, and indeed most societies, as it has deep roots and therefore difficult to eradicate. This once invisible, ignored and tolerated phenomenon has now gained visibility and public condemnation.

Gender based violence, including domestic violence, is considered to be a serious violation of human rights and has been the subject of national action plans since 1999 focusing on the prevention of the phenomenon, the protection of the victims and the punishment of the perpetrators. Portugal’s commitment to combating gender based violence is evident in the fact that it was the first country in the European Union to ratify, on 5 February 2013, the Council of Europe Convention on the Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence – Istanbul Convention.

Despite the many progress made in the situation of women, both in Portugal and in other countries, de facto inequalities remain that need to be addressed.

Objectives such as the promotion of gender balance in decision-making, whether political or economic, or the deepening of equality in the labor market and the sharing of responsibilities (professional, personal and family), are far from being achieved, denying women a full exercise of their rights and legitimate aspirations.

I firmly believe that the Regional Dialogue Process on the Empowerment of Women, launched by the UfM is a decisive instrument for improving the situation of women in the Euro-Mediterranean region in the various social fields. For this reason it is a great honor for Portugal to host the 4th High Level Conference on Women in the second half of 2018. We are certain that this forum will be another relevant step towards strengthening the crucial role of the UfM in protecting and promoting women’s rights in our region.

Teresa Fragoso, President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, Portugal
Teresa Fragoso has been president of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) since August 2016, following a previous tenure in the same position in 2011–2012. As the head of Portugal’s national machinery for women’s rights, Ms Fragoso’s responsibilities include strategic planning in the framework of the National Action Plans for women’s rights and gender equality policy, providing political and technical support to the member of Government in charge of Equality, strengthening partnerships with the private sector and civil society, and ensuring gender mainstreaming in the annual plans of all ministries.

Ms Fragoso’s previous roles include working as a political adviser to the Portuguese Secretary of State for Citizenship and Gender Equality (2015–2016) as well as to the Portuguese Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. She has also worked as a gender and development specialist with UNWOMEN in East Timor

Read full report

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • English
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!