The change is one of the promises made by President Emmanuel Macron last year and is the first step in a legislative process that will still require a vote in the Senate in order to be passed. 

On Tuesday night, the French National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of amending Article 34 of France’s constitution to include that “the law determines the conditions by which is exercised the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion, which is guaranteed.”

“Tonight, the National Assembly and the government did not miss their rendez-vous with women’s history,” Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said.

Macron’s government is aiming to get the constitutional amendment passed by both chambers of parliament before getting it approved by all legislators in three-fifths majority of a joint session of parliament. 

In October, the French president said that his government would aim to make abortion rights constitutional by the end of the year. “In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible,” he wrote on his socials. 

A 2022 opinion poll from France showed that 89 per cent of respondents wanted abortion rights to be legislated under the constitution.

Earlier this month, an anti-abortion “March for Life” rally took place in Paris, with numbers soaring to 15,000, according to the organisers. 

Abortion in France was decriminalised over half a century ago, however there remains nothing in the constitution that guarantees abortion rights. If the latest constitutional amendments is passed, France will have a vastly superior approach to women’s reproductive rights compared to its surrounding countries: in Poland, pregnancies can only be legally aborted in cases of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s health or life. Even in cases of severe fetal deformities, the Polish constitutional court ruled that women are not allowed to access abortion. 

In 2022, Hungry’s far-right government tightened abortion access, requiring women to “listen to the foetal heartbeat” before they can access the procedure. 

In Italy, a group of anti-abortion organisations have sought to enshrine a similar rule, collecting over 106,000 signatures in December in an attempt to force women to listen to the ‘foetal heartbeat’ before undergoing the procedure.

The post France’s National Assembly votes to enshrine abortion rights in constitution appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The online reaction was swift. Some users on X (formerly Twitter) called the 94-year old competition of going “woke” for crowning a woman who didn’t have the conventionally feminine hairstyle of long, luscious locks. 

Perhaps the term ‘woke’ is being thrown around a bit too carelessly (and irresponsibly) these days? 

After Gilles’ win last weekend, the 20-year old said “We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses (sic) with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair.” 

“[Every] woman is different, we’re all unique. No one should dictate who you are.” 

During the contest, which took place in the eastern city of Dijon on Saturday, Gilles said she wanted to “show that the competition is evolving and society too, that the representation of women is diverse, in my opinion beauty is not limited to a haircut or shapes that we have… or not”.

It goes without saying that her comments are contained within an industry where nobody is larger than size 6, or over the age of 30— so her definition of ‘diverse’ doesn’t actually reflect the true representation of women’s bodies across society. 

Nevertheless, her comments and her short hair are starting conversations around the world. Why? Well, because of the backlash of course. 

Backlash

First reported by UK’s Telegraph, several users on X expressed their anger and distain for Gilles and her win. 

“Miss France is no longer a beauty contest but a woke contest which is based on inclusiveness,” one user complained.  Another said that crowning a short haired woman indicated the competition was “instilling wokist (sic) values into society.” 

Another wrote, “The androgynous body is clearly to serve woke propaganda.” 

Nevermind the fact that Gilles meets every single measure of beauty the patriarchy has imposed upon us about the repressive idea of feminine beauty — she has a sculpted, symmetrical face, slim tall figure, appears to not have any excess fat on her body, and basically looks similar to every other winner who was ever been crowned in beauty pageant history. 

Nevermind that conventionally attractive women who have had short hair (Linda Evangelista, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Portman, Edie Sedgwick) have still been accepted as undeniably beautiful. 

It seems that when it comes to the world of beauty pageants, some fans believe beauty has only one hairstyle. 

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A post shared by Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais (@missnordpasdecalaisoff)

Admirers 

Where there’s hate, there is always love. Several users expressed their joy at seeing a short-haired woman being crowned the winner. One described Gilles as “sublime”, while another pondered aloud: “Aren’t women allowed short hair anymore – I must have missed the memo.”

French ecofeminist and Greens MP, Sandrine Rousseau said, “So, in France, in 2023, we measure the progress of respect for women by the length of their hair?”

On X, the 51-year old wrote, “I’m shocked by the comments on #MissFrance2024 I didn’t imagine we were there. Our hair, and what we do with it, how we style it, is none of men’s business. Point.” 

Other female politicians weighed in on the win, including fellow Greens MP Karima Delli who wrote, “Big support for Eve Gilles in the face of hateful tweets on social networks of incredible violence!” on her socials. 

“Swallow your venom, she is not only superb, Miss Nord pas de Calais is intelligent in embracing her diversity!”

Giles was crowned Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais (the northern region of France) in October this year. 

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In his first major policy decision as the education minister, Attal said in an interview with TV channel TF1 he has “decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools.”

“When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn’t be able to identify the pupils’ religion just by looking at them,” he said. 

“Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school,” Attal continued, adding that the abaya is “a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute.”

The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM), the national body of Muslim associations responded to the latest ban, saying that items of clothing alone were not “a religious sign”.

Since March 2004, students attending state-run schools have been banned from wearing headscarfs or any apparel that “ostensibly show a religious affiliation” in schools, including large crosses or Jewish kippas.

Since the 19th Century, France has enforced strict bans on religious signs at schools and government buildings in an effort to uphold secular laws.

In 2010, full face veils were banned in public. The ambiguous design of abayas has meant that they have not faced a complete ban until now — after months of debate over their presence in French schools.

Last month, President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, called for “a totally secular state school” where there is “no ramadan, no abaya, no ostentatious religious signs.”

In November 2022, the education ministry described the abaya as one of a group of items of clothing, including bandanas and long skirts, whose wearing would be banned if they are” worn in a manner as to openly display a religious affiliation”. 

Attal’s decision has attracted both supporters and opponents. 

His predecessor, Pap Ndiaye welcomed the ban, saying he did not wish “to publish endless catalogues to specify the lengths of dresses”.

Union leader and general secretary of the National Union of National Education Management Personnel, Bruno Bobkiewicz said “The instructions were not clear, now they are and we welcome it.” 

Head of the opposition right-wing Republicans party, Eric Ciotto, also welcomed the news, saying “We called for the ban on abayas in our schools several times.”  

Meanwhile, left-wing populist party, France Unbowed legislator Clementine Autain condemned the latest ban, describing it as the “policing of clothing”.

According to Autain, Attal’s latest policy is “unconstitutional” and indicative of the government’s “obsessive rejection of Muslims“.

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The “landmark” law stipulates that listed companies in all 27 EU member countries work toward 40 percent of non-executive board seats be held by women, or 33 percent of executive and non-executive roles combined by mid-2026.

The law was first deliberated on a decade ago, before stalling. But with increased support from Germany and France– each of which have implemented their own independent gender quotas in recent times— the plan gained traction again before being agreed to by member states.

“We’ve finally been able to kiss the Sleeping Beauty awake,” Lara Wolters, a Dutch socialist and a lead negotiator for the European Parliament on the matter told Reuters.

Right now, corporate board representation varies dramatically inside the EU. In Estonia for instance, just 9 percent of non-executive seats are held by women while in France it sits at more than 45 percent.

Following France, countries including Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Germany boast between 36 percent and 38 percent female participation in the boardroom but there is a lag with smaller countries like Hungary and Cyprus.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), an EU agency, says quotas have proven most effective in improving balance on boards. However, with no set penalties in place for countries unwilling or slow to comply, it remains to be known whether the policy will work.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said: “After 10 years, since the European Commission proposed this directive, it is high time we break the glass ceiling. There are plenty of women qualified for top jobs: they should be able to get them.”

The post Board quotas for women? EU lawmakers set new rule for 2026 appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The man, who was wearing lipstick and a wig, was seen by witnesses at the Louvre in Paris jumping out of a wheelchair, and apparently attempting to smash the glass protection. 

Bystanders reported seeing the man smear cake on the glass and throw roses before being restrained by security personnel.

Footage of the incident was posted on social media over the weekend, showing security guards at the Louvre escorting the man away. His motivation is believed to have been environmentally related.

According to The Associated Press, the man shouted in French, “Think of the Earth! There are people who are destroying the Earth! Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this!”

Another video has since surfaced, showing a museum guard cleaning remnants of the cake off the glass protecting of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work. 

The Italian Renaissance painting, dating back to 1503, is believed to have been undamaged. 

The 36-year-old offender was later sent to a psychiatric unit.

One visitor spoke to UK Metro about the incident. 

“The crowd begin gasping and we looked up and some man in a wheelchair [dressed] as an old lady ran up to the painting and started punching it before smearing cake all over it,” the American tourist, Luke Sundberg, said. 

“It took about 10 to 15 seconds for the security to actually take the man away, but the crowd seemed to panic a little bit.” 

“It was jaw-dropping, it was a lot to take in considering how historic Mona Lisa is… the moment was once in a million.”

Officials at the Louvre have not made any public comments.

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France’s president, Emmanuel Macron officially appointed des Cars this week, who is the daughter of a journalist and writer, and the granddaughter of the novelist Guy des Cars.

Taking on the role of head of the world’s most visited museum, des Cars will bring her expertise in 19th and early 20th-century art, and became part of the 67 percent of the country’s national museums which are headed by women, according to the country’s culture ministry.

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When the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, rang des Cars to tell her the good news, Des Cars said her heart was “beating very strongly.”

“It was a joyful and emotional moment,” she told France Inter. “I will never forget that call.” 

“What I want to do is think about what we consider a ‘universal museum’,” she told The Guardian. “This is the label we stick on the Louvre, wrongly as it happens because it’s not quite that. Its purpose is to be universal, and that’s what interests me.” 

“The Louvre can be fully contemporary, it can open up to the world of today while telling us about the past, giving relevance to the present through the brilliance of the past.”

“We need time, we need perspective, we are coming out of a destabilising crisis, we are living in exciting but complicated times … We are all a little bit at a loss for direction. I think the Louvre has a lot to say to young people, too, who will be at the centre of my concerns as president of the Louvre.”

When she was asked about the future placement of the Louvre’s star exhibit, La Joconde (the Mona Lisa), Des Cars replied firmly that it would not be travelling. 

“No, it is a very fragile work. It’s also one of the joys of the world’s great museums to go and see certain works knowing they will not have been moved,” she said.

Des Cars also used news of her appointment this week to praise the work of her predecessor, Jean-Luc Martinez. “I congratulate him on the work he has done over the last eight years. I’m very happy to be working with him over the next few weeks and months, because there will be a transition period.”

Des Cars will begin her post in September this year. 

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The mandate will see companies reach 30 per cent women as “senior managers and members of management bodies” by 2027, and 40 per cent by 2030. The bill also requires large and medium sized companies to publish annual data on gender gaps in their ranks.

Before it becomes law, the “Rixain-Castaner” bill needs to pass through the French senate before the end of President Emanuel Macron’s term. As well as addressing the gender gap in executive leadership, the bill also addresses other issues that affect women more broadly. This includes ensuring social payments land in women’s bank accounts (not their husbands), prioritising access to day care services for single parents, and a focus on supporting women entrepreneurs.

Elisabeth Moreno, France’s Minister for Gender Equality told Forbes that her dream is “parity everywhere”.

“It’s like the digital revolution, which has become totally transversal. From health care and cyber-security to economics and artificial intelligence, digital is everywhere,” she said. “The same is true for women. Otherwise, these systems remain biased and imbalanced.”

Before entering politics, Moreno spent three decades in the tech sector and has said that the introduction of quotas will help speed up the process of gender equality in the private sector.

“I’ve spent 30 years in the private sector. There are a lot of people who talk, talk, talk about more gender balance. But there is a lot more talk than there is action,” she said.

#EgaliteEco | « Je suis très heureuse d’être ici devant vous pour prendre la parole sur une proposition de loi qui, j’en ai l’intime conviction, rentrera au Panthéon de notre histoire collective. »@RixainMP | @CCastaner pic.twitter.com/hgqJLEiWon

— Élisabeth Moreno (@1ElisaMoreno) May 12, 2021

The “Rixain-Castaner” bill passed through the National Assembly ten years after France’s adoption of the Copé-Zimmermann law in 2011, which imposed a 40 percent minimum gender requirement for companies’ boards. This law has led to a marked increase in the number of women on boards. In 2019, 45 per cent of director seats at the country’s CAC40 Boards were filled by women, up from 10 per cent in 2009.

While this improvement has been seen on boards in France, the number of women in executive leadership has fallen well behind, with the new bill designed to help create a shift.

The summary of the bill states: “It is necessary to take a second step by actively promoting the presence of women in positions of responsibility.”

“The action on the glass ceiling makes it possible to intervene at all levels of the chain of responsibilities of the company by accelerating the careers of all women.”

The move from France follows legislation in Germany, passed in November 2020, that requires publicly-traded companies to have at least one woman in their executive leadership.

The post French parliament unanimously votes in favour of gender quotas for executive leadership appeared first on Women's Agenda.

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@tay_calenda Entre notre premier collage et aujourd’hui, 111 femmes ont été assassinées par leur (ex) conjoint. La vie de 10 travailleuxses du sexe leur a été arrachée. D’autres sont mort.e.s encore, victimes de la domination patriarcale misogyne, comme Céleste, 15 ans, violée et tuée il y a quelques jours par un violeur multirécidiviste. Ce sont leurs noms que nous collons ce soir, au coeur d’un mémorial de rue dressé au 44 rue Bouvier, dans le 11ème arrondissement de Paris. Nous invitons toutes et tous à venir vous y recueillir et vous rendre compte ce que représentent autant de mort.e.s. Le 30 août 2019, nous nous retrouvions en petits groupes pour peindre et coller les noms des femmes assassinées par leur (ex) conjoint. Un an après, nous sommes près de 3000 à Paris, plusieurs milliers de militant.e.s dans 200 villes en France, ainsi que dans une dizaine de pays dans le monde. Le collage, extraordinaire dispositif d’expression et de lutte, a très rapidement évolué et été investi par d’autres groupes, pour aujourd’hui aborder d’autres thématiques comme le racisme, les violences faites aux travailleuses du sexe, les LGBTQIA+phobies, l’islamophobie, la pédocriminalité et les violences faites aux enfants, ainsi que les violences sexistes de manière globale. Depuis le début, nous n’avons qu’un seul objectif en tête : arrêter de compter nos mortes et nos adelphes violenté.e.s. Un an après, des milliers d’heures de travail, autant à arpenter les rues de France, voici le bilan que nous pouvons tirer : La politique de lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes portée par l’ancienne Secrétaire d’Etat à l’Egalité Femmes-Hommes Marlène Schiappa a été un exercice de communication politique de bout en bout. Nous en ressortons avec un budget trafiqué épinglé par le Sénat lui-même, des mesures mettant en danger les femmes victimes de violences (comme la levée du secret médical sur décision du médecin en cas de suspicion de violence) et une absence de planification forte, demandée depuis des années par les structures spécialisées (formation continue des services de police dans la prise en charge des victimes par exemple). Suite en commentaire

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The names of the 122 women murdered by men over the past year in France were plastered onto the Paris wall over the weekend, highlighting the under-recognised issue of violence against women.

Since the beginning of the movement, hundreds of anti-femicide slogans have been plastered across walls all over the country, with slogans often sharing the horrifying stories of those killed.

As one reads:

“Maureen, 28-year-old, beaten to death by her boyfriend,” and “She leaves him, he kills her.”

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@berenice_farges_photographie Entre notre premier collage et aujourd’hui, 111 femmes ont été assassinées par leur (ex) conjoint. La vie de 10 travailleuxses du sexe leur a été arrachée. D’autres sont mort.e.s encore, victimes de la domination patriarcale misogyne, comme Céleste, 15 ans, violée et tuée il y a quelques jours par un violeur multirécidiviste. Ce sont leurs noms que nous collons ce soir, au coeur d’un mémorial de rue dressé au 44 rue Bouvier, dans le 11ème arrondissement de Paris. Nous invitons toutes et tous à venir vous y recueillir et vous rendre compte ce que représentent autant de mort.e.s. Le 30 août 2019, nous nous retrouvions en petits groupes pour peindre et coller les noms des femmes assassinées par leur (ex) conjoint. Un an après, nous sommes près de 3000 à Paris, plusieurs milliers de militant.e.s dans 200 villes en France, ainsi que dans une dizaine de pays dans le monde. Le collage, extraordinaire dispositif d’expression et de lutte, a très rapidement évolué et été investi par d’autres groupes, pour aujourd’hui aborder d’autres thématiques comme le racisme, les violences faites aux travailleuses du sexe, les LGBTQIA+phobies, l’islamophobie, la pédocriminalité et les violences faites aux enfants, ainsi que les violences sexistes de manière globale. Depuis le début, nous n’avons qu’un seul objectif en tête : arrêter de compter nos mortes et nos adelphes violenté.e.s. Un an après, des milliers d’heures de travail, autant à arpenter les rues de France, voici le bilan que nous pouvons tirer : La politique de lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes portée par l’ancienne Secrétaire d’Etat à l’Egalité Femmes-Hommes Marlène Schiappa a été un exercice de communication politique de bout en bout. Nous en ressortons avec un budget trafiqué épinglé par le Sénat lui-même, des mesures mettant en danger les femmes victimes de violences (comme la levée du secret médical sur décision du médecin en cas de suspicion de violence) et une absence de planification forte, demandée depuis des années par les structures spécialisées (formation continue des services de police dans la prise en charge des victimes par exemple). Suite en com

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Activist Camille Lextray returned to the location of the first poster the movement put up last year; a poster in honour of a woman named Salomé, who was the 100^th woman killed by a partner or ex-partner in 2019.

“Her name was torn down so we decided to come back here specifically to show that we cannot tear down the names of these women,” Lextray told AFP.

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Génocide des Ouïghour.e.s : stop à la complicité des entreprises et au silence de la diplomatie internationale ! Dans la nuit du mercredi 29 juillet 2020, les colleus.x.es ont recouvert les murs de l’Ambassade de Chine, responsable du génocide et des crimes contre l’humanité commis contre la population ouïghoure et d’autres minorités ethniques musulmanes dans la province du Xinjiang. Nous avons aussi collé sur la banque nationale chinoise des imports exports et sur les sièges sociaux des entreprises mises en cause dans le travail forcé des Ouïghour.e.s et autres ethnies musulmanes en Chine. Des collages ont de plus été effectué dans plusieurs villes de France pour sensibiliser et alerter. L’ONU estime qu’un million de Ouïghour.e.s sont détenu.e.s dans ce que les autorités chinoises appellent des “camps de rééducation politique”. Le mouvement national d’éveil du Turkestan oriental, un groupe de militant.e.s Ouïghour.e.s, considère que le territoire comporte près de 500 camps : 182 camps de concentration, 209 prisons et 74 camps de travail. Comme le rapporte Amnesty International et d’autres expert.e.s, ce ne sont pas des lieux d’apprentissage, mais des lieux de sanction, de tortures (coups, privation de nourriture, isolement, viols, traitements cruels, inhumains et dégradants) et d’endoctrinement. Les violences et les crimes commis sont à la fois islamophobes et misogynes : la destruction des minorités du Xinjiang passe par la privation du droit à la liberté de pensée, de conscience et de religion ainsi que par l’entrave des naissances et une campagne à grande échelle de stérilisations et contraception forcées ciblant les femmes Ouïghoures. Ainsi ces violences gynécologiques massives sont-elles un outil de la politique génocidaire d’élimination des minorités musulmanes turcophones conduite par les autorités chinoises. Et cette politique a dores et déjà produits ses effets… En quelques années le gouvernement chinois est parvenu à réduire drastiquement la natalité des Ouïghour.e.s, et à modifier les équilibres démographiques et la composition ethnique des populations du Xinjiang. En effet, entre 2014 et

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“It is a place that is symbolic for us, it is a place of memorial,” she said. “We decided to create our own memorial because France does not. France does not recognise these victims. France does not honour these victims and so we are doing it tonight.”

Among countries in Europe, France has one of the highest rates of femicide. In 2018, 121 women were killed by a partner or ex-partner. The following year, the number rose to 146. There are still four months left of 2020, and there have already been 122 murdered in France by a partner or ex-partner.

In September last year, then Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced plans to build 1,000 shelters for the victims of domestic violence. He also announced plans for legislation allowing for the wide-scale use of electronic bracelets to prevent domestic violence offenders approaching their victims.

But Activist Camille Lextray said funding for organisations is still not there. “The charity organisations have still not been listened to,” she said. “They have still not been heard.”

“And once again, we see that the government is talking but not really acting. So what has changed in the past year in concrete terms: nothing. We are still on the ground. What has changed is that people are speaking out, that we refuse to let things go. And we continue to put up posters.”

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic or family violence you can contact 1800 RESPECT for 24/7 support on 1800 737 732. Men can access counseling, information and referral for their use of violence by calling Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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The pay will see health workers’ pay rise by around $298 a month on average, with nurses, non-medical staff and care workers to receive the benefit. Doctors working in the public sector will also receive a slice. 

The deal came after seven weeks of talks with trade unions as the Covid-19 pandemic pummelled the European nation. France has seen 30,000 deaths and 200,000 infections. 

“This is first of all recognition of those who have been on the front line in the fight against this epidemic,” new French Prime Minister Jean Castex said as the new deal was signed.

“It’s also a way of catching up the delay for each and every one – including perhaps myself – has their share of responsibility.”

Castex described it as a “historic moment” for France’s health system. 

Nurse pay around the world

France’s decision comes as NSW nurses face 12 month wage freezes. The public sector wage freeze was pitched as a way to save taxpayers $3 billion and keep workers in jobs, but unions have described it as a “slap in the face”. 

The Industrial Relations Commission in June ruled public sector workers aren’t guaranteed a 2.5 per cent pay rise under the current wages policy. 

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey described it as a “disappointing” verdict.

“But even more disappointing is the state government’s insistence on cutting the wages of paramedics, nurses, cleaners and prison guards who are keeping us safe from a pandemic,” he said.

Nurses in Zimbabwe are also striking over pay conditions, with Zimbabwean police arresting more than a dozen nurses and union representatives in early July, AFP reports. 

The union, which represents 150,000 nurses, called on workers to strike as Zimbabwe faces surging inflation. 

“The situation is terrible. We can’t afford to pay rent,” nurse Moses Sigauke said.

He said the average nurse’s salary had fallen from $1,146 in 2008 to $50 today. 

In the US, nurses are calling for hazard pay similar to what military service people receive. 

And in the UK, unions are also calling for a pay rise as nurse pay continues to fall in real terms. Unions say the pay will help boost the economy and reflect the dangerous conditions staff have been required to work in. 

Not paid since February

According to Amnesty International, health workers around the world have been “silenced, exposed and attacked”.

It said more than 3,000 health workers have died from the pandemic, and that those raising concerns have faced ramifications ranging from dismissal through to arrest. 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic still accelerating around the world, we are urging governments to start taking health and essential workers’ lives seriously,” said Sanhita Ambast, Amnesty International’s researcher and advisor on economic, social and cultural rights.

“Countries yet to see the worst of the pandemic must not repeat the mistakes of governments whose failure to protect workers’ rights has had devastating consequences.”

Amnesty International also noted that in South Sudan, state-paid doctors have not received a salary since February, and are also not covered by welfare or medical cover. 

Additionally, at least 46 staff in Guatemala have not been paid for the last two and a half months.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on Yahoo Finance and is republished here with permission.

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A council of 35 individuals from 23 countries, including Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege called on the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States to confront the laws in their own countries that continue to penalise women on account of their gender. 

The G7 is an international intergovernmental economic organisation of seven of the  largest advanced economies in the world. These countries combine to hold 40% of the world’s wealth, with only 10% of its population. Australia is not part of the cohort, though this year we’ve been given a seat at the table as an observer. This includes a special leaders’ dinner for our PM, Scott Morrison.

Yazidi survivor of genocide and advocate for victims of trafficking, Nadia Murad, and Congolese gynaecologist known for his work in helping women who have survived sexual violence, Denis Mukwege, are among the G7’s Gender equality advisory council. The council consists of 32 women and 3 men from 23 different countries.

In a statement on the council’s website, it says the host of this year’s G7 summit, French President Macron, sought to “surround himself with men and women from around the world who are determined to provide their experience, expertise and determination to support the great global cause of equality between men and women.” 

President Macron is building this initiative on the recommendations instigated during Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s G7 presidency in 2018 under his “Making Gender Inequality History” campaign. 

The aim continues to be this: propose tangible tools and solutions to enhance gender equality worldwide and significantly enhance aid to promote women’s rights and gender equality.

The audience over the weekend included U.S president Donald Trump. He was there, despite his own administration complaining that President Macron’s focus was on “niche issues” such as climate change, gender equality. Trump seems to want the agenda to be firmly planted around issues his has historically been more comfortable addressing, such as global economics and trade.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the head of UN Women, delivered one clear message during her address: “We call upon you to pronounce 2030 as the expiry date of gender inequality.”

                                                       Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

This initiative is part of the “the Biarritz Partnership”, an international, borderless call to arms for all nations to adhere to international agreements concerning women’s rights. The G7 countries are attempting to lead the way in implementing legislation that will guarantee gender equality for their citizens. The council also announced they will set up an accountability framework, but have yet to elaborate on what this looks like or how it will operate.

So what should these leaders do? 

The council took to brainstorming a few ideas and generated a list of ’progressive laws’ for the 7 nations to consider. Examples offered include Denmark’s new laws on cyber-harassment (they also have a female prime minister, Mette Frederiksen), and
Morocco’s institutionalisation of gender equality throughout budget processes.
Iceland’s equal pay laws; last year, they became the first country in the world to make it illegal to pay men more than women. In France, there are streets harassment laws, which criminalise sexist insults, degrading or humiliating comments, or offensive “sexual or sexist” behaviour towards a person in public areas, schools or workplaces.

Also in France, there’s a law that criminalises anti-abortion websites (perhaps something New South Wales needs to consider, judging by what we’ve seen in the last few weeks – An ABC analysis of the top 15 Facebook communities from both sides of the abortion debate found the groups against the bill have 10 times the share of voice and activity of their opponents)

In a Guardian article penned by four of the council members, they said, referring to the dire statistics globally of women’s rights (including that women are overrepresented in vulnerable jobs and are paid on average 23% less than men) – “None of this will happen unless countries properly fund the independent women-focused and women-led organisations that hold legislators to account on their commitments.”

Most country have discriminatory laws that penalise women: look at our own; if you live in New South Wales, it remains that unlawfully procuring an abortion is an offence punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years. And our own politicians are trying to keep it that way.

The Guardian article quote above included the voice of actress Emma Watson, who is part of the council, and continues to advocate for worldwide gender equality. She founded HeForShe initiative and is in her fifth year as a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women.

                                                                    Emma Watson

The G7 was created in the 1970s as an annual gathering of political leaders to discuss politic-centric topics including global security, economy and energy. Of all Country leaders as of 2019, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany is the only woman.

It’s good to see gender equality getting the political attention it deserves. It ought to be a natural law that women are awarded the same respect, dignity and opportunity as men on this planet, regardless of where you live. Alas, this is not the reality you nor I live in. Will the G7’s gender equality advisory council change things? Will new laws be stapled in as solid legislative foundations? How much power does the G7 body have, realistically? Time will tell.

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The move, which we reported on here, was also done to “show respect to women for all the contribution they have made to the country,” according to Abiy.

Appointing a cabinet that’s at least 50 per cent female is still, unfortunately, rare enough that it makes international headlines, as we saw when Canada, France and Spain did the same thing.

However, there’s been a definite trend towards gender-balanced cabinets in 2018, with six of the ten that the world currently has being appointed in 2018.

That’s according to iKNOWPOLITICS, which has just released a new report on gender parity cabinets.

These are the ten countries with gender parity cabinets:

Canada

Unveiled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2015, gender parity was still present during the July 2018 cabinet reshuffle, with 17 female and 17 male ministers.

Colombia

Unveiled by President Iván Duque in August 2018.

Costa Rica

Unveiled by President Carlos Alvarado in April 2018, with 14 women and 11 men.

Ethiopia

Unveiled by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in October 2018, with ten women and ten men.

France

Unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron of France in May 2017. His revamped October 2018 Cabinet included 17 women (out of 34).

Nicaragua

Unveiled by President Daniel Ortega in January 2017, with nine women and eight men.

Rwanda

Unveiled by President Paul Kagame in October 2018, with 13 women (out of 26).

Seychelles

Unveiled by President Danny Faure in April 2018, with five women and five men.

Spain

Unveiled by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in June 2018, with 11 women ministers and five men.

Sweden

Unveiled by Stefan Löfven in 2014, with 12 women and ten men ministers, making the country the world’s “first self-proclaimed feminist government”.

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