The annual Gender Equality Index, put together by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), tracks the progress made on gender equality within the European Union.
The index takes into account factors such as work, time, power and health. Countries are issued a score between 1 and 100 each year. This year, the Grand Duchy received a score of 72.4 points, improving on last year’s score by 2 points.
Luxembourg has thereby increased its score by 11 points since 2010 - a feat which was welcomed by Minister of Equality between Men and Women, Taina Bofferding. However, the Duchy still has some way to go in order to close the gender equality gap.
The country only ranks 12th in the domain of power, due to the low number of women in decision-making positions which affect the economy. There are also deficits recorded for the domain of time, driven by lower levels of gender equality in social activities. Bofferding warned the pandemic could lead to further backwards steps in terms of gender equality, and could call into question the progress made in the past.
The EIGE index should take into account effects of the health crisis, as restrictions such as homework or homeschooling were more likely to fall on women’s shoulders, thereby negatively impacting the work-life balance.
On a more positive note, the Grand Duchy reached first place in terms of money, with 92.4 points. It also reached third place in the area of knowledge, with 70.8 points.
