#InternationalWomen'sDay2019 - Women's power in politics

The Parliament is organizing a series of events highlighting the importance of women taking part in politics. This is particularly important in view of the European elections taking place in May.

Events in the Parliament

On 7 March, Parliament’s gender equality committee organizes an inter-parliamentary committee meeting, which will focus on young women in politics as well as women's real power in politics and how to boost it.

Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, chairwoman of Parliament’s gender equality committee, and Věra Jourová, the European commissioner for gender equality, will both be attending. Other speakers will include Parliament Vice-President Dimitrios Papadimoulis, chair of the high-level group on gender equality and diversity; and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović; Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief.

Follow the debate online on 7 March from 9h CET.

On 5-6 March, Parliament is organising a seminar for journalists with a particular focus on the upcoming European elections. The panels will include discussions on:

• How imbalanced (still) is the gender balance in politics?
• What is still needed to break the glass ceiling in politics once and for all? Will the new generation trigger the change?
• European elections: what will women vote for?
• European elections: what do the political groups offer to women on gender balance and empowerment?

Live chats on social media
Angelika Mlinar, an Austrian member of the ALDE group, will be answering questions about the Parliament resolution she wrote on gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament on Facebook and Instagram on 7 March at 16h CET.

The importance of young women's involvement in politics will be discussed with #thistimeiamvoting volunteers on Facebook and Instagram on 8 March at 17h CET. These volunteers have been very active in raising awareness of the upcoming European elections in May.