Women's rights, gender equality.
When I arrived at Instituto Superior Técnico, I was one of two women to enter the Mechanical Engineering course, among about a hundred men. Several decades later - in Portugal and in most European countries -, women definitely affirmed themselves in higher education, even becoming the majority among new graduates in several areas, from the Judiciary to Medicine. However, their entry level into certain sectors, namely in new technologies, remains far from desirable. Access to top positions, both in the public and private sectors, is also far from reflecting the qualifications they currently have. I have always considered that gender equality is not achieved by just implementing the principle of “equal pay for equal work”, even though it is essential. It is also essential that women are present in the places of greatest influence and where remuneration is highest. In the FEMM Commission - Women's Rights and Gender Equality - I have two reports related to these issues. The first refers to the directive "Women on Boards", of the European Commission, whose application has long been postponed, which aims to encourage the presence of more women on the boards of directors of listed companies. The second concerns the proposal for measures to promote greater female involvement in the so-called digital economy.