STRASBOURG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament, meeting here for its plenary session, voted on Tuesday to urge the European Union (EU) and its member states to step up their efforts to achieve equality between women and men.
In a non-legislative resolution, MEPs said the bloc should do more to reduce pay gaps, remove "glass ceilings" blocking women's careers, address their lack of economic independence and improve their work-life balance.
According to the report, the employment rate for women reached an all-time high of 64 percent in 2015 in the EU, while 76 percent of men were in the workforce.
Meanwhile, women are four times more likely than men to engage and remain in part-time work. Three quarters of household work and two thirds of parental care were performed by working women.
Despite the fact that women on average have a higher level of education, the average gender pay gap is 16.1 percent and women's pensions were 40.2 percent below those of men in 2014, the report stated.
The report pointed out that in half the EU member states the gender pension gap had even widened. Additionally, only 6.5 percent of presidents and 4.3 percent of CEOs of listed companies were women. In eight member states, parental leave is not accompanied by any pay.
"Data clearly show that the EU is only half way towards achieving gender equality," said rapporteur Ernest Urtasun.
"Equal pay between women and men in the EU was enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. Sixty years on, it is still not a reality," Urtasun said.
"On many issues, including pay, pensions, and employment opportunities, progress towards equality in the EU has either stalled or gone into reverse. Gender equality clearly needs to be moved up the political agenda and be given the priority status," he added.
The resolution based on the report was adopted by 369 votes to 188, with 133 abstentions.
