The following blog post was produced through collaboration between the EU, French and German teams at Dods Political Intelligence.
International Women’s Day (IWD), falling each year on March 8, is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. Since its inception in 1911, following a proposal made during the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910, International Women’s Day has served not only as a reminder of the progress made thus far, but has also highlighted the areas in which improvement is needed, and to put emphasis on the importance of upholding gender equality in all aspects of life.
On March 7, ahead of International Women’s Day, the European Commission set out its Roadmap for Women’s Rights and presented the 2025 Report on Gender Equality. Building on the progress achieved under the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the Roadmap sets out a long-term vision to address gender-based violence, ensure equal pay, promote work-life balance, and advance women’s political and economic participation. While the European Commission declares the “urgent need to reiterate, reaffirm and reinforce the commitment to gender equality and women’s rights”, the Communication does acknowledge the worrying trends against women’s rights worldwide questioning gender equality legislation, with “political discourse too often falling into sexism and gender stereotypes”.
“Today’s Roadmap shows our strong commitment to continue building a European Union of gender equality and women’s rights”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the presentation of the Roadmap. Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, further highlighted how “Questioning gender equality is questioning progress. Gender equality is not up for debate — it should be as natural as the air we breathe. It is at the heart of our European way of life”.
As part of Ursula von der Leyen’s second mandate’s objectives to simplify and make Europe competitive (again) in a number of areas, the Roadmap outlines how gender equality “could elevate the EU GDP per capita by 6.1 to 9.6% by 2050, equating to a remarkable 1.95 to 3.15 trillion euros”. Besides the economic gain, the principles laid out relate to the existing gender equality challenges in the domains of violence, health, time, money, work, education and knowledge, power and institutional mechanisms. Still, as Renew Europe noted, the Roadmap falls short in ensuring access to safe and legal abortion “leaving women in some EU countries without essential healthcare and reproductive rights”. Back in November 2024 and following the European Parliament’s hearings of European Commissioner candidates, the competences of Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner responsible for health and animal welfare, were reduced by transferring reproductive and sexual rights as well as health preparedness in the EU to Commissioner Lahbib.
Annexed to the Roadmap, a Declaration on women’s rights outlines eight key Principles which are expected to serve as a guide for internal EU policy as well as EU diplomatic and external action:
- Principle 1: Freedom from gender-based violence: Every woman and girl has the right to security and to be treated with dignity, both on-line and off-line, in public and private life
- Principle 2: The highest standards of health: Every woman has a right to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health
- Principle 3: Equal pay and economic empowerment: Every woman has the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value and to be economically independent
- Principle 4: Work-life balance and care: Every woman has the right to balance her professional and private life
- Principle 5: Equal employment opportunities and adequate working conditions: Every woman has the right to equal employment opportunities and adequate working conditions
- Principle 6: Quality and inclusive education: Every girl and woman has the right to high quality and inclusive education and training, free from discrimination
- Principle 7: Political participation and equal representation: Every woman has the right to actively and safely participate in public life
- Principle 8: Institutional mechanisms that deliver on women’s rights: Advancing women’s rights requires effective gender mainstreaming, financing and institutional infrastructure, as well as gender-sensitive research, data collection, design and planning that address women’s needs with an intersectional approach.
Actions at national level are considered fundamental, given how the Roadmap goes beyond EU’s competences on a number of matters. The Commission therefore calls for member states to ensure “proper structures in place, endowed with sufficient resources to ensure their capacity”, which will be supported by the EU budget and in the context of the European Semester.
Finally, the EU external actions will also revolve around the Union’s strong commitment to women’s rights, as declared in the Communication. Moreover, “the Commission will firmly oppose any action or proposal that seeks to undermine the existing international commitments and standards and will strive to enhance them further”. The Roadmap is due to be discussed during the European Parliament Plenary session on March 11, in Strasbourg. An ‘International Women’s Day Celebration’ is scheduled to take place earlier that day.
France is the first country to enshrine the freedom to have an abortion in its Constitution
France advances progress on gender equality France is making strides towards gender equality, notably through the interministerial plan for equality between women and men 2023–2027, overseen by the Ministry delegate for equality between women and men. Despite the limited power of this ministry, several significant advancements have been made recently in France concerning women’s health, violence against women, or the diffusion of a culture of equality. On the March 8th, 2024, France became the first country to enshrine the freedom to have an abortion (in French “interruption volontaire de grossesse”) in its Constitution.
Another local milestone, the first menstrual leave for women suffering from painful periods and endometriosis was introduced by the town council of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine. Meanwhile, the recent Mazan rape trials proved to be a watershed in the cause against violence against women, which are consistently on the rise every year. Concerning this issue, a commission of inquiry investigating abuses in the performing arts, fashion, advertising, and film is in progress at the National Assembly, while a bill to strengthen the battle against this violence is presently being discussed in Parliament. Lastly, as part of the national program for sexuality education adopted on January 30th, 2025, the government is preparing courses in emotional and relational life to dismantle gender stereotypes.
Uncertain terrain for women’s representation in Germany
Germany’s 2025 parliamentary elections, with results clearly in favour of conservative and right-wing parties, could signal a shift in the country’s approach to women’s rights. Merz’s political history and the party’s current stance suggest a conservative trajectory on issues such as gender equality and reproductive rights. A recent all-male team photo of the CDU/CSU leadership, announcing a drastic change in Germany’s political landscape sparked widespread concern about the party’s commitment to gender equality. Women’s representation in the new Bundestag has dropped even further, now at just 32.4 per cent, compared to 35.7 per cent in 2021. Of the 630 members of parliament, only 204 are women. This decline is not only due to the strength of the CDU/CSU but also to the rise of the far-right AfD, which has the lowest female representation of any party in parliament at just 11.8 per cent. Notably, this comes despite women—particularly those aged 18 to 24—overwhelmingly voting against right-wing and conservative parties, favouring the political left instead. Germany’s likely new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, previously opposed gender parity in parliament as it could lead to “serious misappointments” – such as those seen in Scholz’s cabinet which “would not do women any favours”.
Recently, a reform of Germany’s abortion legislation (paragraph 218 and 218a) that sought to legalise abortions until the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy failed to be put to a vote before the federal elections (currently, abortions are only penalty-free until the 12th week if women undergo mandatory counselling and a three-day waiting period). Now with the CDU/CSU as the strongest party in parliament, a reform seems highly unlikely. Similarly, the feminist foreign policy agenda, which was primarily coined by the Greens, has long been criticised by the CDU/CSU and will likely be rolled-back under a Merz-led government. Topics such as the gender pay gap, inclusive language, gender-specific research and healthcare will most likely be deprioritised in light of “more pressing issues”.