PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 08 March 2011
100th International Women’s Day
Let’s hope women will not have to wait another 100 years before achieving gender equality!
The 100th International Women’s Day is an opportunity for AGE to recall the difficult conditions that older women are facing today and the need to develop efficient solutions to address the challenges faced by the increasing number of older women in the early 21st century.
Although conditions for women have evolved considerably in the last 100 years, women are still facing huge difficulties today, in particular in access to employment, lifelong learning and equality in income. This is particularly true for women aged 50+ who are often the victims of gender inequalities and age discrimination although they represent a fast growing part of the population as a result of increased life expectancy and rapid demography ageing.
The life expectancy of girls born today is 100 years. Will they have to wait until they reach that age and celebrate the next centenary for true gender equality to be achieved?
Following on from the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and ahead of the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Intergeneration Solidarity, AGE calls on the EU and Member States to take concrete action to improve the situation of older women in order to enable them to enjoy equal rights and opportunities and prevent the poverty and social exclusion of the increasingly vulnerable group of very old women.
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