5 million euros against gender gap
61 projects funded with 5,4 million euros have been selected within the EEA Grants Gender Equality Programme to promote gender equality in business, female entrepreneurship and socio-labour insertion of vulnerable women.
10.10.2014
61 projects have been selected among the 232 submitted to the Open Call launched by the Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality within the EEA Grants Gender Equality Programme. The projects are grouped into three areas: closing the gender pay gap, fostering women’s entrepreneurship and socio-labour insertion of vulnerable women and women in rural areas.
The Open Call, funded with 5,42 million euros, was addressed to NGO, business organizations, trade union, universities and research centres and local entities. Although the selected projects vary widely, they all have something in common: the objective of reducing inequality between men and women.
Figures speak volumes. The women activity rate is still 13 points below the male rate, women earn 22% less than men, the share of women on boards is 16% and life-work balance is still a utopia. The situation is even worse among the most vulnerable groups and in rural areas. EEA Grants Gender Equality Programme, funded with 10 million euros, aims to address these figures. In addition to the five predefined project, currently in progress, and the six projects to improve the public services to women victims of gender violence, there are now 61 projects for the same number of Spanish entities. However, the beneficiary entities are many more because the majority of the proposals are made in cooperation with other organizations, whether they be Spanish or from the donor countries, Norway and Iceland.