HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON
GENDER EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
REPORT TO THE BUREAU
ON
GENDER EQUALITY
IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SECRETARIAT
- State of play and the way forward 2017-2019 -
presented by
Mr Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS
Vice-President and Chair of the High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity
and endorsed by the
HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON GENDER EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY,
with the participation of the standing Rapporteur for gender mainstreaming,
on 29 November 2016
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3
1. STATE OF PLAY OF GENDER EQUALITY IN THE SECRETARIAT 5
1.1 Selection and appointment procedures 5
1.2. Professional training and awareness-raising 6
a. Professional training 7
b. Awareness-raising events 7
1.3. Work-life balance 8
a. Teleworking 9
b. Part-time work 10
c. Parental leave, family leave, leave on personal grounds 10
d. Recruitment of replacement staff 10
e. Childcare facilities 11
1.4. Statistics and staff 11
2. THE WAY FORWARD - TOOLS TO IMPROVE GENDER BALANCE 12
2.1 Selection and appointment procedures 12
2.2 Professional training and awareness-raising 13
2.3. Work-life balance 15
2.4. Statistics and staff 16
3. TARGETS TO IMPROVE GENDER BALANCE AT MANAGEMENT LEVEL 17
CONCLUSIONS 19
INTRODUCTION
Gender equality at all levels of public administration is a question of legitimacy of public decisions, as half of the population is made up of women and half of men. Moreover, gender balance at management level contributes to bringing new perspectives into the decision-making process and leads to better decisions. The European Parliament has therefore long been committed to promote gender equality. The figures on gender balance in Parliament’s administration may be improving, but they are still not at a fully satisfactory level and the European Parliament, as an employer, following the values it promotes as a political institution, must take further steps in support of full gender equality.
The equality policy in Parliament’s Secretariat has developed over the years. Since 1998 a Vice-President has been appointed for equal opportunities in the administration. In 2004 the Bureau set up a High-Level Group on Gender Equality (thereafter ‘High Level Group’) whose mandate has later been extended to include diversity. The High-Level Group, chaired by the Vice-President holding the equality and diversity portfolio, sets the main priorities, which are then implemented by the EP Secretariat and by DG Personnel in particular .
Ten years after the Bureau adopted the Kaufmann report on “Equal Opportunities in the European Parliament Secretariat - state of play and the way forward” , the High-Level Group has decided to look at the progress achieved since then and to propose new targets and adequate and updated measures to achieve them.
This initiative also follows the recommendations contained in Parliament’s resolution on gender mainstreaming in the work of the European Parliament, adopted on 8 March 2016 , for which Ms Angelika MLINAR was Rapporteur. This resolution recalls that female representation in Parliament’s key decision-making positions at political and administrative level remains low and that, in order to improve the quality of decisions made, Parliament needs to ensure that the allocation of decision-making positions is evenly spread between genders.
Moreover, this resolution deplores the fact that the targets for gender balance at senior and middles management level, adopted by the Bureau in 2006 (KAUFMANN report) were not reached by the 2009 deadline, nor have they been achieved to date. The Plenary therefore urged for effective, corrective and far-reaching measures to be taken so as to reach these gender equality targets within the shortest possible timeframe.
Additionally, this resolution calls on the High-Level Group to submit a comprehensive roadmap indicating how to increase the representation of women in middle and senior management positions to 40% by 2020. Such a roadmap can be prepared as a follow-up of the present report, in order to define how to implement the concrete actions proposed below and within which timeframe.
To this aim, the High-Level Group held several exchanges of views and organised a hearing on 15 June 2016 on “Ideas and best practices on how to promote gender equality in Parliament's administration at management level” to gather a fresh perspective on the current trends and recommendations from the outside world on promoting gender equality. The High-Level Group has produced the present report with its recommendations and conclusions for the administration, to be endorsed by the Bureau.
This report focuses on gender equality. However, the High-Level Group, whose mandate covers also diversity in the European Parliament Secretariat, has decided to also analyse the state of play of diversity and propose adequate measures in a report to be drafted in the near future.
1. STATE OF PLAY OF GENDER EQUALITY IN THE SECRETARIAT
1.1 Selection and appointment procedures for managerial positions
a. Staff in senior management positions
The Bureau is the appointing authority for Director-General and Director posts. The procedure for appointing senior officials by the Bureau is laid down in a Bureau decision of 16 May 2000 . The Bureau appoints also the Secretary-General (Rule 222(1) of Parliament’s rules of Procedure).
An Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials, composed of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Director-General concerned, the Director-General for Personnel and possibly other members at least at Director level assists the Bureau in the selection of staff in senior management positions.
The Advisory Committee establishes the criteria according to which the applications will be evaluated. It examines the applications and draws up a shortlist for the attention of the Secretary-General who then submits it to the Bureau, which decides on the final list of candidates eligible for an interview. The Advisory Committee then holds interviews with the candidates and draws up a report. On this basis, the Secretary-General submits a proposal to the Bureau, which then takes the final decision.
As regards measures to ensure gender-sensitive selection procedures, following a decision of the Secretary-General of 2004, the Advisory Committee includes an observer for gender equality matters (from COPEC, the Committee on Equal Opportunities and Diversity). However, the Bureau decision on the various stages of the appointing procedure of senior officials does not mention the necessity to set gender-sensitive criteria for the evaluation of the applications, even if the procedure remains under the umbrella of the Staff Regulations, namely Article 1d(2).
Among the last 8 procedures organised in 2015, of the newly appointed Directors 6 were men and 2 women, i.e. women represent 25%. Nevertheless, women account for 47% of the candidates for these posts and 38% of the eligible applications. Whereas 17 men were interviewed, only 2 women were (10.5%).
Up until 1 November 2016, among the 11 procedures organised in 2016, of the newly appointed Directors 8 were men and 3 women. Women represent 27.2% of the appointed candidates but they make 21% of the candidates for these posts and 15.8% of the eligible applications. Whereas 36 men were interviewed, only 7 women were (16.3%).
b. Heads of Unit
The Secretary-General is the appointing authority for Heads of Unit. By decision of 2011 the Secretary-General has established a specific procedure for the selection and appointment of Heads of Unit .
The candidates are initially selected by a selection panel chaired by the Director-General of the service concerned and composed of a senior official of the DG and a senior official of DG Personnel.
The selection panel makes a report, on the basis of which the Director-General for Personnel submits a note to the Secretary-General, proposing, where possible, a shortlist of candidates. The Secretary-General appoints then the Head of Unit.
On 2013, the Secretary-General noted that the different selection panels often proposed only one single name instead of a shortlist and requested that the services propose a shortlist of three candidates, including, where possible, at least one woman, the under-represented gender at this level .
As regards other measures to ensure gender-sensitive selection procedures, all selection panels must comprise at least one member of each gender (note of the Secretary-General of 2011). Guidelines from an equality perspective for members of selection and recruitment panels, including on gender-sensitive questions, are made available for the members of the selection panels, in order to avoid them asking improper questions or making inappropriate inquiries.
Among the last 10 procedures organised in 2015, of the newly appointed heads of unit 5 were men and 5 were women. Women account for 43.2% of the candidates for these posts, 44.9% of the applicants interviewed and 57.1% of the shortlisted applicants.
Up until 1 November 2016, 31 procedures have been organised in 2016, for which 23 Heads of Unit have been appointed (2 procedures with no appointment and 6 ongoing procedures). Among these 23 successful procedures, of the newly appointed Heads of Unit 9 were men and 14 were women. Women account for 33.1% of the candidates for these posts, 34.7% of the applicants interviewed and 60% of the shortlisted applicants.
1.2. Professional training and awareness-raising
This section concerns mostly middle management (heads of unit) but could also benefit senior management.
a. Professional training
Professional training targeted to women eligible to management posts (grades AD9 to AD14) has been introduced since 2007 as a possibly corrective tool. Four sessions of the training programme called Potential Women Heads of Unit, solely for women in grades AD9 to AD14 who are not managers, have been organised (in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011) and taken up by 114 women. Of these, nearly 50 had been appointed as Head of Unit or Director by February 2016. A new programme was made available in 2012 open to both men and women: the Talent Management programme.
The High-Level Group requested in 2011 that a questionnaire be sent to the target group to collect data on why women are not applying for middle management posts. The answers to the questionnaire launched in 2012 highlighted two main areas where more could be done to encourage more women to apply for Head of Unit selection procedures: on the one hand, better and more training in order to be better equipped to meet the demands in this field, and, on the other hand, moving towards a better work-life balance (see point 1.3. below: Work-life balance).
It was therefore decided in 2016 to reactivate the specific training programme targeting women, this time with a new format. A roundtable was organised on 8 March 2016 on “Women with management potential”, with the presence of Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President for Gender Equality, Ms MLINAR, Rapporteur on Gender Mainstreaming, and Ms RATTI, Deputy-Secretary-General, and the three female Directors-General (Ms LAHOUSSE-JUÁREZ, Ms LINNUS and Ms WALTER-DROP). It was an opportunity to promote the new programme and obtain directly from those concerned information on the training they feel they need, particularly concerning the proposed 6 point programme prepared by DG PERS – analysis of training needs, access to EP management courses, leadership courses for women, mentoring and networking, other training measures, other human resources measures notably for other parties. The proposed programme was very favourably received by those officials concerned. The call for expressions of interest has been published and 88 women have expressed an interest.
b. Awareness-raising events
The Equality and Diversity Award, conferred on members of staff either individually or as a group, has since 2005 been a means of identifying, highlighting and recognising good practices in the field of equality, diversity and non-discrimination that have been actively integrated and carried out within the Secretariat. The procedure was reviewed, as a result of which in 2014 nearly 900 staff members voted to decide which of the six candidates that had promoted gender equality were the most deserving.
Fortified by its long experience in the planning, design and implementation of training programmes, the Professional Training Unit received the Award for the part it played in creating the “Potential Women Heads of Unit” training programme (see above). The Award was also given to a colleague in DG IPOL who had proposed, while EPSO lists were being checked for candidates for AST posts, that particular attention be paid to identifying male candidates with a profile suited to work in DG IPOL, as not enough men were being recruited as assistants in that DG. The Award was made by the selection panel, which is chaired by the Jurisconsult, who guarantees its impartiality.
1.3. Work-life balance
Allowing staff to reconcile work and private life is fundamental for achieving gender equality. A wide range of work-life balance measures should therefore be available. It should be noted that measures for a better work-life balance have a positive impact on all staff, including those not in managerial posts.
The most common measures for improving work-life balance are flexible working times and part-time work. Teleworking, parental and family leave as well as special leave to care for sick family members complement such measures. The provision of child-care facilities is an important pre-condition for reconciling work and family life.
Regarding staff of the European Institutions, different measures are already defined by the Staff Regulations, such as the right to parental leave or family leave and the right to work part-time in certain cases, allowing only for a limited flexibility regarding their implementation by the European Parliament. The Staff Regulations also set the general framework for flexible working-time arrangements, while it is up to each Institution to adopt flexitime and/or teleworking and the corresponding rules.
Further developing work-life balance measures, creating a work environment that is favourable towards the use of work-life balance measures and aiming at the use of work-life balance measures by men and women alike is therefore an important element of a strategy to favour gender equality. This is already reflected in the Action Plan for the promotion of gender equality and diversity in the EP for 2014 to 2019, which demands to analyse and publish statistics on the use of work-life balance measures, to study best practice in other organisations and EU-Institutions, to promote additional work-life balance measures and to encourage acceptance by managers regarding the use of such measures. Statistics are drawn up regularly by the Equality and Diversity Unit and best practice has already been compiled and provides a benchmark for the measures to be proposed in this roadmap.
In the European Parliament, the current work-life balance measures such as part-time work, parental leave and family leave are predominantly used by women. In 2016, 77.7 % of all part-time workers were women . Women also accounted for 80.8 % of the users of family leave and for 75.8 % of the users of parental leave. Numbers are fairly similar in other EU Institutions and reflect the general situation in our societies, where women are still the main providers of care for children or other family members.
Allowing staff members to properly balance their work and private commitments is also essential for achieving gender balance at management level. The responses to the questionnaire sent to female administrators (AD 8 to AD 14) in 2012 by the Equality and Diversity Unit clearly demonstrated this. 38.8 % of respondents replied that they were not applying for a Head of Unit post because of the difficulty of combining such a post with family/ private commitments and responsibilities. Statistics provide further proof of the importance of work-life balance measures for women managers and potential managers. Among all female managers in 2016, 26.4 % worked part-time, while only 9.8 % of male managers did so. And among women in grades AD 9 to AD 14 (thus eligible for management posts) the percentage of part-time workers was particularly high with 46 % in 2016 (compared to 27.7 % of all staff who worked part-time).
a. Teleworking
Teleworking is an important tool allowing staff members to balance their work and their private life. Teleworkers save time otherwise spent commuting to the office and may find it easier to combine care responsibilities with work commitments.
Structural teleworking in the European Parliament is for the time being only possible for linguists in the Translation Directorate. In August 2016, DG TRAD counted 103 teleworkers out of which 79 were women (76.7%). However, since the percentage of women among all translators in DG TRAD was already 64.2%, the gender imbalance is not quite as high as it might seem at first sight. Data from other Institutions confirm this impression. In the Council of the European Union, where structural teleworking is limited to staff in translation and some services in DG Press, 78 % of teleworkers in 2015 were women. At the European Commission, where all staff has the right to request telework, numbers are a bit more balanced with 69.4 % of structural teleworkers being women.
While occasional teleworking has been possible in most other EU Institutions for some years, it has been introduced in the Secretariat of the European Parliament only recently in November 2016. The EP’s rules allow for a maximum of 3 consecutive teleworking days and a maximum of 36 teleworking days per year. Occasional teleworkers have to use their own IT equipment and work from their place of employment or at no greater distance from this place as is compatible with the proper performance of their duties (Art. 20 SR). Participation in the occasional teleworking scheme shall only be authorised if it is compatible with the interest of the service. For each period of telework, the tasks to be accomplished are set in advance and their correct execution is verified by the hierarchical superior at the end of the period.
When presenting the occasional teleworking rules to the Bureau, the EP’s Secretary General announced that an evaluation of the scheme would be conducted after one year, and on the basis of the experiences, a generalisation of teleworking at the European Parliament might be proposed, following the example of other Institutions.
b. Part-time work
Overall, part-time work has been on the rise during the last years. As regards officials, 26.7 % were authorised to work part-time during 2015, compared to 21.9 % in 2013 and 18.6 % in 2011. Part-time work is still predominantly used by women, who made up 78 % of officials on part-time in 2015.
In the European Parliament it is possible to work part-time on a 50 %, 60 %, 75 %, 80%, 90 % or 95% basis (the last one is a specific formula without salary reduction granted only in very specific circumstances). The Staff Regulations define in which cases staff has a right to work part-time, while all other staff might still apply for part-time work but this could be refused. Parliament already has a rather flexible approach regarding the working time of staff on part-time with more than 100 different part-time arrangements on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
c. Parental leave, family leave, leave on personal grounds
The right to parental leave or to family leave in order to care for a relative with a disability or a serious illness as well as the possibility to take leave on personal grounds is set out in the Staff Regulations. Each EU Institution therefore only has a very limited margin regarding the implementation of these measures. The EP has recently used this margin to reduce the deadline for application for family leave to one month, thus responding to the demands of staff members caring for a family member with a disability or a long-term illness.
Family leave and leave on personal grounds are used only by a very small group of staff (1% of all staff and 0.7% of all staff respectively during 2016). Parental leave, however, is a more important policy component for improving work-life balance with 9.2 % of staff members using this measure during 2016. The gender balance for parental leave is also slightly better (with men accounting for 24.2% of beneficiaries in 2016) than for family leave (19.2% male users in 2016).
d. Recruitment of replacement staff
In order to facilitate part-time work, Parliament compensates Directorates-General for the personnel working part-time. Directorates-General may use up to 75 % of the time liberated by part-time workers in the past year to recruit replacement personnel with temporary contracts. As this equivalent of 'time liberated' is pooled on a general basis by DG it allows to conclude renewable annual contracts for the replacement personnel in the service and workplace of the DG’s choice.
Regarding maternity and parental leave, direct replacement by a contractual agent is possible.
e. Childcare facilities
Childcare facilities are available in Brussels and Luxembourg from the age of 3 months onwards (crèche, garderie and study centre) and usually open from 8.00 in the morning until at least 18.45 in the evening (Fridays at least 17.30). There is also a family room in Strasbourg for children from 3 months until under 6 years, open from 13.30 to 20.00 on Mondays and from 8.00 to 20.00 from Tuesday to Thursday.
1.4. Statistics and staff
The collection of statistical data makes it possible to assess gender balance at all levels of the European Parliament’s Secretariat. The purpose is to establish points of reference with the aim of identifying trends, tracking progress and drawing the attention of Directorates-General to gender equality, both for the Administration as a whole and for each DG in particular.
This also allows measures to be introduced to ensure men and women both have the same opportunities to hold posts, and in particular positions of responsibility, at all levels, and hence be involved in decision-making. The main assessment instruments are:
the brochure Women in the European Parliament: published on International Women's Day (8 March), this also includes data on measures to improve work-life balance;
updating of half-yearly statistical data, including an analysis of promotions;
analysis by gender of allocation of merit points;
analysis by gender of the composition of in-house committees.
This set of documents, some of them highly specific, is a major tool for monitoring the situation with regard to gender balance in the Secretariat, and its development, in a way, which is simultaneously comprehensive and precise, thanks to the variety and complementary nature of the documents concerned.
A unit dealing specifically with Equality and Diversity (EDU) was created in 2006 in order to promote both gender equality and diversity in the Secretariat. Before the political demands in terms of staff reduction, the unit was composed of eight staff members to cope with the workload. At present, after a staff reduction but an increased workload, the EDU is composed of 7 staff members broken down as follows: 1 Head of Unit, 3 AD including 1 contractual agent while waiting for the return of the temporary AD post, 2 AST and 1 AST/SC.
2. THE WAY FORWARD - TOOLS TO IMPROVE GENDER BALANCE
2.1 Selection and appointment procedures for managerial positions
The various stages of the selection and recruitment procedures should be reanalysed in order to improve the overall process, particularly as regards middle management. In this respect, as regards middle management, the Secretary-General should issue a new note taking on board the actions proposed below and, as regards senior management, the High-Level Group, supported by the competent services, should propose to the Bureau a proposal for a revised decision.
Moreover, gender equality at management level can only be ensured if both genders are equally represented in the pool of staff members eligible for managerial positions (AD9 to AD14). This requires systematic measures to support female career development, including ensuring a fair distribution of merit points, and raising the awareness of managers responsible for the annual evaluation procedure that women tend neither to ask for high-profile assignments, nor to self-promote their achievements.
The following concrete actions should be undertaken:
- every manager responsible for the annual evaluation of staff should be made aware of the gender specific communication and negotiation styles, in particular that women tend neither to ask for high-profile assignments, nor to self-promote their achievements, which may lead to a less favourable allocation of merit points;
- recruitment procedures should use gender-sensitive language; vacancy notices and job descriptions should be revised to be gender-sensitive and less stereotypical;
- the advertisement of a management position should last at least 15 days and even one month during the summer recess;
- if there is a significant gender imbalance in candidates, the effectiveness of the application procedure should be questioned; if there are no applications from both genders, the position should be re-advertised for additional 7 days, noting that applications from both genders are encouraged;
- it should be compulsory - and not only recommended - that the selection panels for heads of unit and the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials are gender-balanced and composed, if possible, of at least one-third of members from each gender and, in any case, of at least one member from each gender; for the Advisory Committee on senior staff, one member (at Director-General or Director level respectively) must be a woman (and not only an observer);
- the distribution of the “guidelines from an equality perspective for member of selection and recruitment panels” to the members of the selection panels for every vacancy in Parliament (AST/AD/Heads of Unit/Directors/Directors-General), including to the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials, should be made compulsory;
- guidelines on how to set gender-sensitive selection criteria and how to evaluate competencies in a non-discriminatory manner should be drafted and distributed to the members of the selection panels for every vacancy in Parliament; this should include a section on “unconscious bias” (gender stereotypes are deeply anchored in the everyday behaviours without the persons realising it; people often associate leadership with men and women who appear to have traits of leadership are seen as breaking the traditional gender roles and less positively evaluated); awareness should be raised about the different behaviour patterns, including the gender specific communication and negotiation styles;
- specific training for managers and members of selection boards concerning unconscious bias in the field of gender equality should be introduced;
- the Bureau decision on the various stages of the appointing procedure of senior officials and the 2011 note from the Secretary-General on the procedure for appointing Heads of Unit should be revised to include the necessity of setting gender-sensitive criteria for the evaluation of the applications;
- the recommendation of the Secretary-General of 2013, for all middle management appointments, according to which shortlists should include three candidates, if available, and that both genders should be represented in the shortlist, should be made compulsory;
- the following recommendation for appointing authorities should be introduced: when selecting the candidate to be appointed from the shortlist, if all else is equal (e.g. qualifications, experience), the under-represented gender should be preferred.
2.2 Professional training and awareness-raising
a. Professional training
Since 2007, the training programmes for potential women heads of unit have proved their worth. The experience gained during the four sessions of the Potential Women Heads of Unit programme and then in the Talent Management programme should be capitalised on to encourage the successful running and outcome of the new programme for women with management potential. As the number of women in middle management continues, despite everything, to be low, it was decided in 2016 to reactivate the targeted training.
Organising gender equality training sessions for all would be an advantage in further raising awareness of the issue. In fact, while the importance of gender equality may be generally accepted from now on, further work is still needed to keep in mind that, although on the way, gender equality has not yet fully arrived.
New modern tools should also be introduced in this context, in particular individual coaching by professional trainer and mentoring by senior staff.
The following concrete actions should be undertaken:
- continue to propose the specific training targeted to potential women heads of unit, for which women should be able to enrol at their own initiative and will;
- introduce the possibility for those women to benefit regularly from tailor-made coaching by a professional coach or trainer;
- introduce a mentoring scheme by internal senior managers of both genders in the spirit “my success is your success; your success is my success”; it should be made sure that junior women can benefit from mentoring from senior men, as at senior management level there are not many women;
- targeted training and mentoring programmes should be put in place in technical areas and Directorates-General where women are particularly under-represented.
b. Awareness-raising events
The Equality and Diversity Award is a good initiative, which should be continued. The roundtable on “Women with management potential”, organised on 8 March 2016, was also very successful and should be reorganised.
The following concrete actions should be undertaken:
- initiate specific lunchtime conferences on relevant topics such as: unconscious bias in gender perceptions; presentations and questions and answers with senior managers, both men and women to transmit their experiences and advice on career matters;
- roundtables with senior women should be organised systematically on 8 March;
- an article on stereotypes and unconscious bias (including the gender perceptions of leadership) could be published in Newshound and made available in the intranet in the Equality and Diversity Unit’s site;
- role models of senior women managers should be promoted and be given visibility, so that women can see themselves in a management position;
- a recommendation should be sent to Parliament’s administration that all visual publications in Parliament should avoid gender stereotypes.
2.3. Work-life balance
If gender equality is to be achieved, it is important to create a professional and gender aware working environment. The use of work-life balance measures by women and men alike has to be widely accepted and should not have any negative impact on the staff member’s career. Daily work organisation should also take the needs of staff members with care responsibilities into account, e.g. by ensuring that meetings are not held at unsocial hours, but take account of the opening hours of childcare facilities.
Line managers play a key role in creating such an environment. Their awareness of these issues should therefore be raised in the context of management trainings and other one-off activities. They could also be encouraged to act as role-models making use of work-life balance measures themselves.
The following concrete actions should be undertaken:
- flexible arrangements, such as flexitime and teleworking, and the respective supporting services for remote working, such as remote access to Parliament’s intranet and documents, should be pursued;
- the possibility of “purchasing time credits ” should be considered for all staff of both genders; this type of flexible part-time work can be considered as one step towards the modern working environment the European Parliament is aiming to create;
- time limitation for evening meetings should be recommended for administrative meetings;
- it should be made clear that long working hours and permanent availability are not a decisive factor and that performance should be appraised in relation to achievements instead;
- men should be strongly encouraged to take part in the organisational and cultural change and should be encouraged to take parental leave, ask for flexible family schedules and use flexitime; role-models of men using flexible schedules should be promoted, including through interviews published in Newshound and videos available on the intranet describing their positive experience during these times (spending more time with children, taking care of the household or of ill family member); appropriate measures should be conceived in order to promote a better gender-balance in the requests for parental leave or family-friendly schedules;
- senior staff should act as role-models as regards family-friendly working hours, so that they can be disseminators of these practices.
2.4. Statistics and staff
Work on assessing gender balance at all levels of the staff establishment must continue. The production and analysis of statistics on gender distribution at all levels of the staff establishment is a vital tool. It enables stock to be taken regularly of the situation, providing a basis for any policy on incentives. Beyond the gathering and analysis of the relevant statistics, it must be ensured that they are published and made available to the senior management and all the equality and diversity stakeholders.
To ensure the satisfactory implementation of measures arising from this document, as well as from reports adopted by the EP on equality and diversity matters, it should be ensured that the Equality and Diversity Unit has enough means, including in terms of staff, to be operational.
The following concrete actions should be undertaken:
- publish complete statistics on the subject (the yearly brochure, ‘Women in the European Parliament’, as well as a document which will provide six-monthly updates on the relevant statistics);
- gather and analyse statistics by gender concerning specific aspects (allocation of merit points, promotion, gender balance in internal committees);
- ensure that the results of the analyses according to gender are reported:
• to senior management within the Secretariat;
• to the equality and diversity coordinators, so that they can help to raise awareness among all staff and management in their respective Directorates-General;
- maintain or, if possible, reinforce the present staffing structure of the Equality and Diversity Unit, as laid down in point 1.4, as any further downsizing, in particular in the AD function group, would in fact seriously jeopardize the Unit operational support capabilities.
3. TARGETS TO IMPROVE GENDER BALANCE AT MANAGEMENT LEVEL
Since 1998 the Bureau has set targets for the percentage of women at management level, so far the under-represented gender . A review of the targets for the appointment of women at various levels of senior and middle management would shine a new light on this issue and would encourage the Appointing Authority and selection boards to step up their efforts to promote gender equality.
The table below compares the targets set by the Bureau in 2006 for 2009 in the KAUFMANN Report with the situation at 1 November 2016:
Situation at
1 October 2006 Targets
for 2009 Situation at
1 November 2016
Female Heads of Unit 20.6% 40% 34%
Female Directors 29.6% 35% 30%
Female Directors-General 11.1% 20% 23%
The High-Level Group noted with great concern that the targets were not met for Directors and Heads of Unit and that some Directorates-General are particularly lagging behind as regards the gender balance, as shown in the table below:
Percentage of women in managerial positions
Directors Heads of Unit
PRES 66,7% 44,4%
IPOL 66,7% 15,4%
EXPO 0,0% 50,0%
COMM 50,0% 33,3%
PERS 50,0% 20,0%
INLO 25,0% 33,3%
TRAD 50,0% 34,4%
INTE 33,3% 46,7%
FINS 0,0% 30,0%
ITEC 0,0% 14,3%
EPRS 0,0% 50,0%
SAFE 0,0% 18,2%
SECGEN 0,0% 33,3%
RELGRP 0,0% 0,0%
JURI 50,0% 45,5%
The following combined revised targets should therefore be achieved by 2019:
Overall targets for 2019 Minimum targets by DG
for 2019
Female Heads of Unit 40% 30%
Female Directors 35% 30%
Female Directors-General 30% NA
CONCLUSIONS
This report shows that gender equality is considered seriously in Parliament’s administration and that many tools have been tested and put in place with some results in improving the gender balance in its Secretariat. Progress has been made in several areas since the KAUFMANN report was adopted by the Bureau in 2006. However, the figures on gender balance in Parliament’s administration are still not at a satisfactory level. In order to consolidate and accelerate the progress made, the existing tools must be continued and new methods should be tested and implemented.
The High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity therefore invites the Bureau to adopt this report, endorse the following conclusions and ask the Secretary-General to implement the proposed measures as soon as possible:
Selection and appointment procedures for managerial positions
- every manager responsible for the annual evaluation of staff should be made aware of the gender specific communication and negotiation styles, in particular that women tend neither to ask for high-profile assignments, nor to self-promote their achievements, which may lead to a less favourable allocation of merit points;
- recruitment procedures should use gender-sensitive language; vacancy notices and job descriptions should be revised to be gender-sensitive and less stereotypical;
- the advertisement of a management position should last at least 15 days and even one month during the summer recess;
- if there is a significant gender imbalance in candidates, the effectiveness of the application procedure should be questioned; if there are no applications from both genders, the position should be readvertised for additional 7 days, noting that applications from both genders are encouraged;
- it should be compulsory - and not only recommended - that the selection panels for heads of unit and the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials are gender-balanced and composed, if possible, of at least one-third of members from each gender and, in any case, of at least one member from each gender; for the Advisory Committee on senior staff, one member (at Director-General or Director level respectively) must be a woman (and not only an observer);
- the distribution of the “guidelines from an equality perspective for member of selection and recruitment panels” to the members of the selection panels for every vacancy in Parliament (AST/AD/Heads of Unit/Directors/Directors-General), including to the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials, should be made compulsory;
- guidelines on how to set gender-sensitive selection criteria and how to evaluate competencies in a non-discriminatory manner should be drafted and distributed to the members of the selection panels for every vacancy in Parliament; this should include a section on “unconscious bias” (gender stereotypes are deeply anchored in the everyday behaviours without the persons realising it; people often associate leadership with men and women who appear to have traits of leadership are seen as breaking the traditional gender roles and less positively evaluated); awareness should be raised about the different behaviour patterns, including the gender specific communication and negotiation styles;
- specific training for managers and members of selection boards concerning unconscious bias in the field of gender equality should be introduced;
- the Bureau decision on the various stages of the appointing procedure of senior officials and the 2011 note from the Secretary-General on the procedure for appointing Heads of Unit should be revised to include the necessity of setting gender-sensitive criteria for the evaluation of the applications;
- the recommendation of the Secretary-General of 2013, for all middle management appointments, according to which shortlists should include three candidates, if available, and that both genders should be represented in the shortlist, should be made compulsory;
- the following recommendation for appointing authorities should be introduced: when selecting the candidate to be appointed from the shortlist, if all else is equal (e.g. qualifications, experience), the under-represented gender should be preferred;
Professional training
- continue to propose the specific training targeted to potential women heads of unit, for which women should be able to enrol at their own initiative and will;
- introduce the possibility for those women to benefit regularly from tailor-made coaching by a professional coach or trainer;
- introduce a mentoring scheme by internal senior managers of both genders in the spirit “my success is your success; your success is my success”; it should be made sure that junior women can benefit from mentoring from senior men, as at senior management level there are not many women;
- targeted training and mentoring programmes should be put in place in technical areas and Directorates-General where women are particularly under-represented;
Awareness-raising events
- initiate specific lunchtime conferences on relevant topics such as: unconscious bias in gender perceptions; presentations and questions and answers with senior managers, both men and women to transmit their experiences and advice on career matters;
- roundtables with senior women should be organised systematically on 8 March;
- an article on stereotypes and unconscious bias (including the gender perceptions of leadership) could be published in Newshound and made available in the intranet in the Equality and Diversity Unit’s site;
- role models of senior women managers should be promoted and be given visibility, so that women can see themselves in a management position;
- a recommendation should be sent to Parliament’s administration that all visual publications in Parliament should avoid gender stereotypes;
Work-life balance
- flexible arrangements, such as flexitime and teleworking, and the respective supporting services for remote working, such as remote access to Parliament’s intranet and documents, should be pursued;
- the possibility of “purchasing time credits ” should be considered for all staff of both genders; this type of flexible part-time work can be considered as one step towards the modern working environment the European Parliament is aiming to create;
- time limitation for evening meetings should be recommended for administrative meetings;
- it should be made clear that long working hours and permanent availability are not a decisive factor and that performance should be appraised in relation to achievements instead;
- men should be strongly encouraged to take part in the organisational and cultural change and should be encouraged to take parental leave, ask for flexible family schedules and use flexitime; role-models of men using flexible schedules should be promoted, including through interviews published in Newshound and videos available on the intranet describing their positive experience during these times (spending more time with children, taking care of the household or of ill family member); appropriate measures should be conceived in order to promote a better gender-balance in the requests for parental leave or family-friendly schedules;
- senior staff should act as role-models as regards family-friendly working hours, so that they can be disseminators of these practices;
Statistics and staff
- publish complete statistics on the subject (the yearly brochure, ‘Women in the European Parliament’, as well as a document which will provide six-monthly updates on the relevant statistics);
- gather and analyse statistics by gender concerning specific aspects (allocation of merit points, promotion, gender balance in internal committees);
- ensure that the results of the analyses according to gender are reported:
• to senior management within the Secretariat;
• to the equality and diversity coordinators, so that they can help to raise awareness among all staff and management in their respective Directorates-General;
- maintain or, if possible, reinforce the present staffing structure of the Equality and Diversity Unit, as laid down in point 1.4, as any further downsizing, in particular in the AD function group, would in fact seriously jeopardize the Unit operational support capabilities;
Targets
Overall targets for 2019 Minimum targets by DG
for 2019
Female Heads of Unit 40% 30%
Female Directors 35% 30%
Female Directors-General 30% NA
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ulations provide a legal basis for this policy in Article 1d(2):
“With a view to ensuring full equality in practice between men and women in working life, which shall be an essential element to be considered in the implementation of all aspects of these Staff Regulations, the principle of equal treatment shall not prevent the institutions of the European Union from maintaining or adopting measures providing for specific advantages in order to make it easier for the under-represented sex to pursue a vocational activity or to prevent or compensate for disadvantages in professional careers.”
[1] “Equal Opportunities in the European Parliament Secretariat - state of play and the way forward”, Report to the Bureau by Ms Sylvia-Yvonne KAUFMANN, Vice-President responsible for Gender Equality (PE 380.159/BUR).
[2] P8_TA(2016)0072.
[3] The invited speakers were: Ms Nathalie LOISEAU, Director of the French École Nationale d’Administration (ENA), Ms Cécile COUNE, CEO of Aviabel and co-chair of European Women on Boards, Ms Thérèse MURPHY, Head of Operations of the European Institute for Gender Equality and Ms Joanna MAYCOCK, Secretary-General of European Women’s Lobby.
[4] Bureau decision of 16 May 2000 laying down the steps in the procedure for appointing senior officials.
[5] Note of 5 February 2011, D(2010)36895.
[6] Note of 1 February 2013, D(2013)4494.
[7] The aims of the Talent Management programme, open to both genders, are: succession planning at middle and senior management levels; identification and development of colleagues with high leadership potential by means of diverse innovative training and development measures; clarification of the individual’s interest and ability for management responsibilities by testing out leadership abilities and giving the candidates the chance to understand what working as Head of Unit would involve. The programme is directed at staff in grades AD8 or above with clear potential for a Head of Unit position or higher managerial role. Potential candidates are likely to be identifiable after seven or more years in the Institution.
[8] Most of the statistics regarding work-life balance measures were taken from the staff management IT system Streamline. Unless otherwise stated, numbers refer to officials and temporary staff (political groups not included). Numbers for 2016 refer to the period 1 January to 31 October 2016, all staff 2016 as of 31 October 2016.
[9] Staff members may purchase:
- time credits of 10.5 full days or 21 half days corresponding to one month of half-time work,
- time credits of 21 full days or 42 half days corresponding to two months of half-time work.
Each year a maximum of 42 full days (corresponding to 4 months half-time work) may be purchased. The purchased days could be taken off within 6 months of the official half-time work (while in principle following a full-time work schedule during these one or two months). Staff members requesting this special part-time work should specify the exact dates of the days or half-days acquired in their application. Afterwards these dates may only be changed in advance and with the explicit agreement of the official’s superior.
[10] Reports by Ms HOFF (1998), Ms LIENEMANN (2000), Ms LALUMIÈRE (2002) and Ms KAUFMANN (2006).
[11] Staff members may purchase:
- time credits of 10.5 full days or 21 half days corresponding to one month of half-time work,
- time credits of 21 full days or 42 half days corresponding to two months of half-time work.
Each year a maximum of 42 full days (corresponding to 4 months half-time work) may be purchased. The purchased days could be taken off within 6 months of the official half-time work (while in principle following a full-time work schedule during these one or two months). Staff members requesting this special part-time work should specify the exact dates of the days or half-days acquired in their application. Afterwards these dates may only be changed in advance and with the explicit agreement of the official’s superior.