on Age Discrimination Against Women Statement of EWLA, 12 May 2007
The General Assembly of the European Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), held on 12 May 2007 in Zurich, Switzerland, unanimously adopted the following
RESOLUTION ON AGE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
Having regard to
- The fundamental importance of equality of men and women in all areas of EU law, as expressed in the European Treaties, in particular in Arts. 2 and 3(2) EC (Consideration 14 of Directive 2000/43/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ 2000 L 180/22);
- The fact that women, among other things because of the age structure in European societies, suffer disproportionately from discrimination on grounds of age;
- The fact that the combined effects of sex and age discrimination is more than the mere sum of the effects of each individual type of discrimination;
- The importance of the recognition of the fact of multiple discrimination against women as well as the need for effective legal instruments against multiple discrimination;
- The explicit reference to multiple discrimination against women in respect to discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin in the Race Directive and in the Employment Framework Directive (Consideration 3 of Directive 2000/78/EC establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, OJ 2000 L 303/16, again, in respect to discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin;
- The lack of any explicit reference in EC non-discrimination legislation to the combined effects of sex and age discrimination;
EWLA calls upon the institutions of the European Union
1. To combat multiple discrimination, focusing in particular on the interplay of sex discrimination and age discrimination, by legislative and other means;
2. To clarify that retirement ages fall within the scope of the Employment Framework Directive;
3. To extend the prohibition of age discrimination to social security and health protection.