Ceilings, Gaps and Walls. Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Gender Equality in the 21st Century

Ceilings, Gaps and Walls: Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Gender Equality in the 21st Century’ Online event to mark International Women’s Day 2021, organised by the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe and Amicale Femmes of the Council of Europe. The event aims to:

• Celebrate the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day with an online event featuring female speakers who hold high-level positions within the Council of Europe.
• Raise awareness about past and current challenges and opportunities with regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
• Reflect on the evolution of policies aiming to bridge the gender pay gap and abolish glass ceilings in modern career opportunities.

Context
The International Women’s Day is an occasion to reflect on the evolution of women’s rights in Europe, to promote empowerment success stories but also map the challenges still ahead. Gender equality is an essential principle of both the European Union and the Council of Europe. Yet many women, in Europe and beyond, continue to be the targets of gender-based violence, stereotypes, and others forms discrimination. This situation is reflected in the professional fields, from politics to art, where women face both visible and invisible hurdles.

This online public event co-organised by the EU Delegation of the Council of Europe and Amicale Femmes of the Council of Europe, will allow the participants to discuss pathways towards a more gender-equal society and to reflect on the evolution of gender (in)equality throughout history with a panel of distinguished female leaders. Ambassadors, academics, civil servants and leading professionals from the cultural and press sphere will present their views on the framing of gender equality policies. This event will also be an occasion to share their personal experiences as well as their views on how to break glass ceilings, bridge the gender pay gap and push for achieving gender-balance in all decision-making positions.

The event will take place in an exclusively digital format, and will be open to the public via webstreaming on the EC's platform (see link above) and on social media.