To celebrate the 100th International Women Day, the European Union wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women throughout all these years around the world both economically, socially, politically and in the cultural fields. Under the theme "Equal access to education, training and science and technology", this day highlights the importance of equal access to training and education in order to really guarantee equal opportunities between women and men.

As highlighted by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding in a joint statement on the International Women's Day, this is a day to remember the situations of inequality faced by many women every day all around the world. Not only women earn less in the same jobs, women also have to face inequalities in social, educational and political fields. In addition, each day thousands of women are victims of gender-based violence, including sexual abuse, trafficking, forced marriages and early marriages.

In this day, the European Union reiterates its commitment to promote women’s rights, gender equality and women's empowerment, as equality between women and men is a fundamental right, a common value of the EU and a necessary condition for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth within the EU as well as a key principle in its external action.

One century of hard work towards gender equality

On his side, President of the Council, Herman van Rompuy, also  highlighted the progress made in the last hundred years of hard work for equality, highlighting the actions taken by the European Union in order to ensure equality between women and men, which include Directive on equal treatment at work, the Directive on equal access to goods and services as well as the directives on equal maternity and paternity leave or the Equal pay for equal work Directive, which was also celebrated at the First European Equal Pay Day in 2011.

These milestones as well as the Strategy for Equality put forward by the European Commission in December 2010, point out that some of the progresses made over the last years were considered as revolutionary and had to be achieved step by step. Further efforts must be made. Since the Grand Duchy of Finland grant voting rights to women in 1906 many things have changed, and in ten or twenty years time, said Van Rompuy, Europe and the World will look back with the same admiration watching the changes made in recent years.

"Equal access to education, training and science and technology"

The theme dedicated in 2011 for the celebration of International Women's Day, aims to remember the importance of education as a basic human right, central to economic security and opportunity as well as sustainable development. Investing globally in girls’ education spurs economic growth and political participation. Literacy and numeracy equip women for economic independence, increasing their chances of achieving their full potential.

In this regard, Commissioner Kroes highlighted at a conference about "Women in Science, Innovation and Technology" held in Budapest on the eve of International Women's Day, the role of women in the field of science and innovation, and the various Commission actions taken in this regard, as the “Code of Best Practices of Women and ICT”, an initiative promoted by the IT Girls. As underlined by Commissioner Kroes, getting more women in the hall of fame of technology is one of the objectives set within the Digital Agenda.