Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

The cost of living and energy crisis – women are hardest hit

Europe is currently experiencing a cost of living and energy crisis to an extent that is almost unparalleled in recent history. Across the continent, people are struggling to make ends meet and having to choose between “heating or eating.”

At the start of 2022, after the COVID pandemic, the European Union was geared up ‘to get to work, to make Europe greener, more digital and more resilient’. However, on 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine.

In addition to the tremendous human suffering caused by the war waged by Russia on Ukraine and its people, the war has massively impacted supply chains, causing energy and food prices to surge, and inflation to skyrocket. In 2022, the inflation rates triggered the European Central Bank to increase interest rates for the first time in 11 years.

Unfortunately, the inflation hike happened before the most vulnerable social groups could recovered from the COVID pandemic, and this further compounded the living conditions for many European citizens.

Millions of households are now in need of help due to this increase in the cost of living and energy price hikes. However, looking behind the numbers poverty has a female face.

Women across Europe are facing more socio-economic challenges and higher poverty levels than men. In general, women have jobs that are more precarious, their pay is lower, and they are more likely to do unpaid childcare work. When it comes to accessing education, healthcare, employment, and social services, some groups of women face intersecting forms of discrimination. These include women over 65, women with disabilities, and women from ethnic minorities.

Since COVID-19, the inequalities between men and women have increased and the current cost-of-living crisis disproportionately affects women due to their lower average income, poor and inefficient housing, and dependency on social benefits. In 2021, before the crisis, over 20 million more women than men lived below the poverty line index in the EU. At the current rate of progress, the EU is at least 60 years away from achieving gender equality.

Ursula von der Leyen promised to leave “no one behind” but forgot the Green Deal

We know that women are at a greater risk of falling into energy poverty – a lack of access to affordable energy resources. The problem is a recognised challenge at the EU level. According to the European Commission, “energy poverty is a widespread problem across Europe, as between 50 and 125 million people are unable to afford proper indoor thermal comfort.”

However, there is little data available on the impacts of energy poverty on men and women in the EU. Only few Member States have adopted definitions of energy poverty and energy poverty indicators, but they do not usually consider gender.

Already in 2016, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on access to energy calling for a gender dimension in all energy policies. Unfortunately, little progress has been made despite numerous calls by the European Parliament and the promise of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the European Green Deal would leave “no one behind”.

Despite the commitment of the current commission to mainstream gender into all its major initiatives, the links between gender equality and the European Green Deal policy areas, as well as in the Recovery and Resilience Facility, are inadequate.

In practice, what the European Commission has delivered in so far on the Green Deal, can be described as an EU-funded gender-blind green transition, threatening to magnify existing gender and intersecting inequalities.

The European Court of Auditors special report 10/2021: Gender Mainstreaming in the EU budget. Time to turn words into action also confirms the fact that the Commission is not respecting its treaty-based obligation to promote equality between women and men in all areas of policy making and implementation. The report concludes that indicators and gendered disaggregated data often are lacking in policy development and hindering analysis of gender mainstreaming. In consequence, the Green Deal initiatives and the Recovery and Resilience Facility fail to ensure gender equality.

In addition, EIGE’s Gender Equality Index 2023: Gender Equality and the European green deal, also emphasise the lack of high-quality data and states that the current indicators are not fit for purpose. Too often data is not gender-disaggregated and indicators not gender-responsive. In consequence, available EU statistics do not measure issues that are relevant from an intersectional gender perspective.

The lack of evidence is a key challenge for the Commission if they are serious about delivering on their commitment to “leave no one behind”. Having intersecting facts on the table is necessary for successfully mainstreaming the diverse needs and concerns of both women and men into the policies delivering the European Green Deal. This is imperative to ensure equal access to the historically unmatched funding and to the great opportunities that the green transition offers.

The Green Deal must prioritise social fairness to address gendered poverty

Europe is once again in emergency mode, facing a significant energy crisis due to our dependency on fossil fuels and a volatile energy market.

The social aspects of the European Green Deal and our energy policies are critical to meeting the EU climate targets and mitigating the socio-economic impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Currently the most vulnerable EU citizens are paying the price for the volatility of our fossil dependent energy system. Poverty has a female face and already in 2021, before the current crisis, over 20 million more women than men lived below the poverty line index in the EU.

Several strong statements have been made by the European Parliament relating to gender equality and the energy transition. In its resolution of 17 February 2022, the Parliament recognised that women still face structural and cultural barriers to participation in all aspects of delivering the energy and climate transition.

Structural problems require structural solutions. Therefore, intersecting data and a gender-responsive approach must be reflected in EU policy making to counter the rise of gendered poverty. The implementation of the European Green Deal provides an opportunity to deliver on the commitment to mainstream gender and an intersectional perspective in all the EU’s activities, including in the EU budgeting process.

The report presents several measures to combat the rise of gendered poverty and reiterates the European Parliament’s numerous calls on the Commission to deliver on its promise to ensure a green energy transition that works for all.

In conclusion, ensuring a socially fair green transition is an absolute prerequisite for the success of the Green Deal and for achieving gender equality in the European Union.