Where are the men?

As International Women's Day approaches, we see our newspapers becoming progressively filled with contributions and declarations on women and their role in society. The pronouncements take on a rather negative, if not whining, tone, as we are entertained with never-ending statistics on how women are under-represented in decision-making roles, top jobs and the labour market in general, how they earn less than men, how women are confined to limited sectors etc. The latest Report On Equality Between Men And Women 2006, published last week by the European Commission, and which gives an overview of the average statistics in the EU 25, is another such downer. Which makes me sometimes wonder why such reports are issued as part of women's day celebrations; seems to me this is a contradiction in terms.

My intention in penning this article is to make men, and not women, the centerpiece. This is because on the one hand it is not possible to continue developing an equal opportunities policy without involving men in the process and, on the other hand, because the policy concerns them too and can benefit them more than they may initially expect.

Perhaps in even simpler terms, we need more and more men to buy into the drawing up and implementation of an equal opportunities policy. Why? Precisely because this is not just an equality issue. It is fundamental if we really want to boost Europe's and Malta's economy. There is no way we can reach the targets set in the Lisbon Growth and Jobs Agenda if all of us do not invest in this venture. This is no women's plight - it is the plight of our economy which is crying out loud to all those of us with some sense and good intentions to acknowledge that this oversight (deliberate or otherwise) is costing us what is today considered as the all-in-one survival kit: our competitiveness.

Permit me to elaborate a little further. We must stop viewing equal opportunities policies merely as ways of making it possible for women to find and take their place in professional life, in what was, at the time of the inception of this policy, effectively, a man's world. This was important when the policy was established, and, unfortunately, as a consequence, this tendency has left us with a legacy whereby gender equality policy even today is wrongly regarded as a policy for women. Wrong! It is time we moved on and collectively acknowledge that a gender equality policy has assumed the dimensions of a structural policy directed at both sexes.

If we wish to continue advancing gender equality policy, it is essential that men are part of it in order to re-align the relative positions of women and men, having regard to social, professional and personal development, and to build together new elements to the policy in order to make it even more effective, to the benefit of everyone and to boost our economies.

This outlook no doubt presents challenges for both sexes.

Men do have to embrace wholeheartedly the idea of sharing power and decision-making; to accept professional and social changes; to reassess even the centrality and the value of working life to the detriment of private life.

On their part, women should aim to work in a man's world without trying to resemble men at any cost; they have to find and assume their own way of being and of working; perhaps even creating new rules of professional life together with their male colleagues; and, of course, learn how to establish networks equivalent to those of men.

Apart from the challenges, think also of the contributions women can make to men via equal opportunities polices: for instance, an enrichment of competencies available in the professional world; new concepts of work or of working methods; the implementation of polices to ensure better reconciliation of professional and private life for everyone.

We must, of course, not be naïve and ignore the barriers that still hinder the realisation of a successful equal opportunities policy. We will always have to fight the perpetuation of societal myths and sexist stereotypes; the continuation of violence against women (including in the professional world, like harassment); the resistance to change and the defence of privilege; solving practical difficulties, such as using new work methods to allow the reconciliation of professional and private life. But the good news is that if men and women have the courage and determination to present a common front to fight these battles, we will all be winners.

In the increasingly globalised and competitive world we live in, a successful equal opportunities policy has several contributions to make. And let us not shy away from acknowledging them and striving towards their achievement. I have in mind, for instance, how equal opportunities can meet the needs of an aging society by ensuring the participation of all the labour force and the contribution of necessary skills; the redefinition of the roles of men and women both at home and at work; ensuring equality without requiring things to be the same (different but equal); ensure a place for everyone in professional life, in accordance with their competencies and capabilities (including wages).

The European Commission presented a road map for equality between men and women. It sets out a number of concrete actions designed to help bridge the gender gap. This is only a continuation and renewal of the pragmatic approach the European Union has been adopting in this area over the years. The road map presents a challenge for individual member states to embrace and implement at the national level the necessary adjustments in the respective labour markets and social fabrics in order to help them devise better-tuned social and economic kits to face the challenges ahead.

So, on this day, I would like to augur bon courage not only to those women occupying 23 per cent of parliamentary seats across the member states, but equally to the men occupying the remaining 77 per cent of the decision-making hot seats.

I wish you all a fruitful and happy International Women's Day.

Dr Drake is head of the European Commission Representation in Malta.