Taina Bofferding, Luxembourg's Minister of Equality between Women and Men; Credit: MEGA

Luxembourg's Ministry of Equality between Women and Men presented today the new national action plan for gender equality.

Equality between women and men concerns all areas of life: education, employment, private life and living together in the public space. At a press conference on Friday 17 July 2020, Equality Minister Taina Bofferding presented the broad outlines of the national action plan for gender equality at all levels and in all areas of daily life.

Minister Taina Bofferding explained: "My ambition is to transform the equality of rights between women and men into a de facto equality, an equality that is experienced in everyday reality". 

The National Action Plan for Equality between Women and Men brings together Luxembourg's priorities and issues relating to gender equality. It is a roadmap with targeted measures and actions for the coming years. The plan revolves around seven thematic priorities, includes 48 measures and commitments and highlights 99 actions. The main areas of action are:

  • encourage and support civic and political engagement;
  • fight stereotypes and sexism;
  • promote equality in education;
  • advance professional equality;
  • promote equality at the local level;
  • combat domestic violence;
  • encourage the development of a more egalitarian society.

Minister Taina Bofferding recalled: "Equality is a transversal political priority and calls for a common responsibility shared by the whole of society, therefore by women and men".

To prepare this action plan, the ministry gathered the opinions of public institutions, professional chambers, associations and managers of the social sector. The public also expressed their opinions during a public consultation which gathered some 1,800 responses in three weeks.

“This action plan is our collective commitment to pursue dialogue with young people and overcome stereotypes, it is to support equal pay and the professional development of women and men, it is to develop our spaces public so that everyone feels integrated and it is clearly stated that gender-based violence is intolerable”, continued the Equality Minister.

The plan is evolving and may include periodic adaptations. It will be evaluated at a triennial rate.

Minister Taina Bofferding concluded: “At the start of the year, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Ministry of Equality is also celebrating its 25th birthday this year. In view of the COVID-19 crisis, we are living in a pivotal period to ensure a fair future. Let us take advantage of this moment to accelerate, all together, progress towards real equality between the sexes!".