Managers At the Heart of EU Gender Equality Debate

At today’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, the spotlight was not only on policy, but on pressing cultural shifts and social responsibilities.

Representing Europe’s managerial voice, CEC European Managers participated alongside EU institutions and civil society actors, reaffirming their role as a vital bridge between policy and workplace realities.

Seated alongside the Council of Europe, CEC European Managers emphasized its commitment to shaping a workplace that upholds equality without compromising competitiveness.

Good management today is not just about performance indicators. It’s about ensuring dignity, fairness, and access to quality work for all — and that includes an honest reckoning with the barriers still faced by women

A Moment of Transition and Responsibility

The European Commission unveiled changes within the College of Commissioners, notably at DG Justice, where a more intersectional approach to disability policies and equality frameworks is being introduced. These developments underscore the Commission’s growing focus on interconnected social justice issues.

European Commission’s VP Roxana Mînzatu was quoted at the beginning of the meeting, when, in launching the Quality Jobs Roadmap consultation, stressed: “This is not only about pay. It’s about working time, conditions, access to training, and collective bargaining — all with a clear gender lens.”

The European Commission convened social partners to shoulder their responsibility, reminding participants that fairness is not only a moral imperative but also a competitiveness issue.

Eurofound: Evidence Behind the Policy

Eurofound conducted a data-rich presentation that revealed sobering insights from the 2024 European Working Conditions Survey, which gathered 36,000 face-to-face interviews across 35 countries.

Among the findings is the striking fact that only 16% of EU workers are managers, and that women tend to manage smaller teams and supervise other women more often.

Additionally, women consistently report lower job autonomy, higher burnout, tighter deadlines, and greater emotional labour.

The physical environment — from posture strain to exposure to chemicals — and social environment, including exposure to adverse social behaviour, continue to disadvantage women.

Algorithmic management is more likely to monitor women in male-dominated professions, raising concerns about opaque oversight and inequality in digital workplaces.

This data confirms what CEC European Managers is hearing among its members. Despite progress, structural inequalities persist, and digitalisation, unless deliberately designed with equity in mind, risks widening these gaps.

Gendered Realities in Work and Leadership

The survey found female managers frequently feel underpaid and under-recognised.

25% of women fear asking for better working conditions — compared to 21% of men.

Eurofound’s evidence also showed that flexibility in work schedules, once a male-dominated privilege, is now increasingly accessed by women. However, flexibility remains a double-edged sword, with many female workers reporting exhaustion and unpredictability as costs.

The European Commission shared updates on flagship files such as the Equal Pay Directive, the Istanbul Convention implementation, and upcoming workshops on transposition.

While BusinessEurope welcomed practical toolkits, the European Women’s Lobby expressed disappointment with uneven national progress.

The Commission acknowledged the uneven pace of transposition: “Some Member States have requested extensions. While we prefer cooperation over sanctions, there is a clear process — and everyone here knows it.”

Legislative and Strategic Developments

The Commission shared updates on flagship files such as the Equal Pay Directive, the Istanbul Convention implementation, and efforts to combat gender-based violence. While BusinessEurope welcomed the roadmap and upcoming tools, the European Women’s Lobby expressed disappointment with the uneven pace of national transpositions.

In response, the Commission highlighted that transposition workshops — a series of technical meetings to support Member States — will begin at the end of September. These workshops are designed to clarify legal obligations, exchange good practices, and facilitate smooth implementation of gender equality directives, particularly those related to pay transparency.

However, frustration remained. The European Women’s Lobby noted that delays are especially affecting women in or aspiring to leadership roles. The Commission acknowledged this concern, adding that while some countries have asked for extensions, those significantly lagging behind may face escalated procedures. “We prefer cooperation over confrontation,” said the Commission, “but the process is clear and technical reports do not bind us — we’re here to help, but commitments must be honoured.”

Robotic engineer and functional teams work together to monitor performance of software and computer-controlled machine tools. Troubleshooting, upgrading existing program to make them more efficient.

From National Perspectives to Future Priorities

National delegations offered diverse — and at times emotional — views on gender equality. Spain was perhaps the most vocal. The country voiced deep concerns about gender violence in the public sphere and stressed how militarisation could undermine equality efforts.

Also with the rearming plan in mind, Finland highlighted the need for gender mainstreaming in security policy, linking equality to the geopolitical landscape.

Italy spotlighted the “motherhood penalty”, calling for support measures for working mothers aiming to enhance the current demographic crisis.

Finally, France and Spain called for more focus on the feminisation of poverty, noting the lack of gender perspective in anti-poverty strategies presented during the meeting.

As one delegate put it: “Europe cannot be competitive if half its population is left behind — socially, economically, and institutionally.”

In that sense, Spain raised red flags: “We’ve been discussing the feminisation of poverty since the 70s,” noted the Spanish delegate. “How can we not include unpaid labour, single mothers, or pensions in this debate?” France echoed the call, citing that women lead 80% of single-parent households.

The Commission responded diplomatically, stressing that member states define priorities and that resources at DG Justice are limited. However, many around the table agreed: the omission of gender in poverty debates is no longer acceptable.

The Masculinity Factor: Men as Co-Beneficiaries

The Swedish representative introduced participants to an initiative from the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, which argued for a radical reframing of men not just as supporters but as co-beneficiaries and agents of gender equality.

The Swedish presentation stressed the hidden costs of stereotypical norms — from mental health issues to limited career paths — and called for rights-based, gender-transformative strategies.

The meeting closed with a call to elevate evidence into action, and for member states to do more than endorse strategies — they must implement them. Elections of committee officers and Presidency updates from Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus brought procedural matters back into focus, but the real urgency lay in how gender equality is to be embedded in the post-2025 EU agenda.

CEC European Managers is grateful for the opportunity to be invited by the Committee, alongside other EU social partners, such as ETUC, SMEUnited, and BusinessEurope.

As the #BeyondBias campaign has showcased, managers are invested in gender equality — from leadership to labor laws, from AI oversight to economic security.

The following steps involve not only the Commission, but also national governments, companies, and social partners. And as CEC European Managers made clear, managers — those shaping Europe’s workplaces — are ready to lead that charge.