As a target group in our project we have chosen women at the risk of social exclusion. Our organisations help women in different age, suffering from: disability, lack of education, unemployment, discrimination of immigrants, race, ethnicity or religion, disadvantaged place of living (rural areas, ghettos). All this women are facing double discrimination. Beside the factors mentioned above, all of them are discriminated because of their gender. Lower labour market participation of females, differences in type of their labour market participation (over-representation in part-time jobs associated with lower hourly earnings and lower career prospects), shorter and more discontinuous working lives – stemming from parenthood, care roles and the traditional division of unpaid work -and resulting smaller human capital investments combined with segregation and other forms of discrimination all add up to the gender pay gap.

Lisbon Strategy articulated a strategic goal for the EU to become the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion and in a related document “Growth and jobs: working together for Europe’s future” placed more emphasis on growth and employment through more investment and more jobs. Despite all efforts, the economic crisis has led to the rise of unemployment levels in EU countries especially in the case of women. Equality between women and men, a fundamental principal of our democratic society, is an important element of EU 2020 Strategy and essential for the European Union to sustain its prosperity for the future. Eurostat estimates that 23.815 million men and women in the EU were unemployed in January 2015 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics. Among the Member States, the highest unemployment rates in January 2015 were recorded in Spain (23.4 %). Long-term unemployment is one of the main concerns of policymakers. With the prospect of a shrinking working-age population, increasing the labour-force participation and raising the employment rate of women is paramount to meet the Europe 2020 headline target (75% of the population aged 20-64 should be employed by 2020), counteract the shrinking of the workforce and boost growth.While the employment rate for men (aged 20-64) was 74.6% in 2012, for women, it was only 62.4% in the same year. In all Member States, female employment rates are lower than those for males (http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/themes/31_labour_market_participation_of_women.pdf). In Poland and Italy the employment gender gap was larger than EU average. Furthermore, the female employment rate for the older age cohort (age 55-64) is in some cases strikingly low. It is below 30% in Poland and Italy. The prevailing gender gaps in the working age population result in wide pension gaps between women and men. Women are also over represented among single parents. In rural areas agriculture sector and in urban areas services sector are among the sectors where women are mostly employed. The situation in Turkey is even worst, where women labour participation rate in falling since last 20 years despite the partial increase in recent years. Reasons behind women’s low participation in the labour market include gender-based division of labour and a patriarchal mindset. Insufficient child and elderly care public services restrict the entry of women into the labour force. In the Global Gender Gap Report 2013, Sweden is named as a world leader in equality. However, there is still room for improvement in many areas, e.g. there are also typical features of gender segregation within the choice of education, the average female employee earns 15.8% less than the average male employee which is slightly below the EU average16.2% http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files epo_campaign/131006_country-profile_sweden.pdf

Gender-based discrimination does exist in all countries, highly or low developed. Even in western countries and regardless European Union efforts, patriarchal systems are still dominating. This factors have the effect of exclusion from education and labour market and increase their risk of becoming victims of violence and abuse. Belonging to a gender, an ethnic group and/or having disability and doing a kind of predominant job, domestic work, deprived of social recognition, makes women subdued to a triple marginality: social, economic and cultural. We want to build real connections between women from our countries, let them opportunity to get to know each other, different places, cultures, ways of living, awake their creativity, curiosity. The exchange is the key to develop their vision of the world, transform perspective, build self-confidence, independence, encourage the sense of belonging to the local and European community. On the international level it leads to create the space of tolerance and understanding in Europe.

Benchmark report