COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 7 June 1984 on action to combat unemployment amongst women (84/C 161/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaties establishing the European Communities,

Having regard to the draft resolution submitted by the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3),

Whereas various actions have been taken at Community level to promote equal opportunities for women, in particular the adoption, by the Council, of Directives 75/117/EEC (4), 76/207/EEC (5) and 79/7/EEC (6), concerning equal treatment as between men and women;

Whereas the Council resolution of 12 July 1982 on the promotion of equal opportunities for women (7) emphasizes in particular the need, in a period of economic crisis, to intensify action undertaken at Community and national level, by the implementation of positive measures in order to achieve equality of opportunity in practice;

Whereas the Council resolutions of 11 July 1983 concerning vocational training policies in the European Community in the 1980s (8), of 2 June 1983 concerning vocational training measures relating to new information technologies (9) and of 23 January 1984 on the promotion of employment for young people (10) provide for specific measures in favour of women;

Whereas the European Parliament has on several occasions stressed the need to develop Community measures to combat female unemployment;

Whereas female unemployment in the Community, which is noticeably higher than male unemployment, requires the adoption of appropriate measures to reduce the level of this unemployment and to improve the situation of unemployed women;

Whereas the progressive reduction of the rate of female unemployment must form part of a general reduction of unemployment;

Whereas female unemployment also has special characteristics requiring appropriate measures,

HEREBY ADOPTS THIS RESOLUTION:

I. General objectives

1. The Council takes note of the Commission communication on unemployment amongst women in the Community.

2. It notes that unemployment amongst women is a worrying aspect of the general employment situation in the Community and can only be resolved satisfactorily within the framework of a general policy designed to achieve economic recovery and employment growth. Given the particular characteristics of female unemployment, it is also necessary to make specific efforts to remove the handicaps affecting the employment of women and to promote equal opportunities on the labour market in order to reduce gradually and significantly the rate of unemployment among women.

3. It emphasizes the principles which must underlie the measures to be promoted, namely: - the equal right of men and women to work and, by the same token, to acquire a personal income on equal terms and conditions, regardless of the economic situation,

- the extension of equal opportunities to men and women, in particular on the labour market, in the context of measures to stimulate economic recovery and to promote employment growth, (1) OJ No C 65, 6.2.1984, p. 8. (2) Opinion delivered on 22 May 1984 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (3) Opinion delivered on 23 May 1984 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (4) OJ No L 45, 19.2.1975, p. 19. (5) OJ No L 39, 14.2.1976, p. 40. (6) OJ No L 6, 10.1.1979, p. 24. (7) OJ No C 186, 21.7.1982, p. 3. (8) OJ No C 193, 20.7.1983, p. 2. (9) OJ No C 166, 25.6.1983, p. 1. (10) OJ No C 29, 4.2.1984, p. 1.

- the development of positive measures to correct de facto inequalities and thereby improve female employment prospects and promote the employment of both men and women.

II. Guidelines for action

1. The Council considers that the following guidelines for action in particular should be implemented or continued within the framework of national policies and practices: (a) in respect of job creation and recruitment: - ensure that the measures aimed at encouraging the recruitment of additional labour, especially young people, in the private sector, allow for a more balanced representation of men and women, particularly in jobs in which women are under-represented and in skilled jobs,

- focus recruitment premiums, where they exist, on the people at the greatest disadvantage on the labour market, many of whom are women,

- adopt adequate measures to promote increased representation of women, in order to achieve a better balance in the industries of the future, especially the high-technology industries,

- make efforts also in the public sector to promote equal opportunities which can serve as an example, particularly in those fields where new information technologies are being developed,

- endeavour to ensure that initiatives aimed at the reduction and re-organization of working time make a positive contribution to the promotion of equal opportunities in the area of employment, by permitting inter alia greater flexibility in working hours,

- ensure that voluntary part-time work does not lead to increased sexual segregation on the labour market,

- enable women to have equal access to financial and other facilities available for the creation of businesses, particularly in the context of local initiatives to create employment, including those taken on a cooperative basis, which offer women worthwhile employment prospects and working conditions;

(b) to promote, in the fields of education, vocational training and guidance, measures with a view to: - giving women a wider choice of jobs to enable them to participate more equitably in growth sectors and in the industries of the future,

- ensuring more appropriate qualifications for female workers particularly affected by industrial restructuring and innovation, for those from less-favoured areas, for unemployed women and seeking to return to work,

- promoting increased representation of women in training programmes in order to achieve a better balance in those sectors where they are under-represented, especially sectors connected with the introduction of new technologies;

(c) adopt the necessary measures to ensure that placement, guidance and counselling services are staffed with skilled personnel in adequate numbers in order to provide a service based on the necessary expertise in the special problems of unemployed women;

(d) improve quantitative and qualitative information on the situation of women on the labour market and the assessment of the impact of policies to combat unemployment on the employment of women in order to be able to monitor progress in the sexual desegregation of employment and identify female unemployment trends more accurately.

2. The Council stresses the importance it attaches to the positive contribution of the European Social Fund to the implementation of these guidelines for action.

3. The Council considers that the principles and guidelines set out above should apply to action undertaken at every level, also by encouraging, where possible, both sides of industry.

4. The Council stresses the importance of accompanying measures, especially regarding social infrastructure and means of encouraging greater sharing of responsibilities in the light of the general objective of improving female employment.

5. The Council asks the Members States to develop, where appropriate in cooperation with the Commission, information campaigns aimed at encouraging the change in attitudes needed to improve equality of opportunity in employment. The Council emphasizes the essential role played in this respect, and also as initiators of positive action, by national committees and bodies for the promotion of equal opportunities, which must be able to act as effectively as possible.

6. The Commission is requested to organize an annual exchange of information between Member States on measures taken under this resolution to reduce unemployment among women, and on the means of monitoring, research and assessment.

7. The Council asks the Commission to report to it at regular intervals with a view to taking stock of progress accomplished not later than three years following the adoption of this resolution.