PARITY NOW! — A European Campaign for Gender Parity in Decision-Making

A new European campaign is calling for stronger structural measures to ensure equal representation of women and men in positions of power and decision-making. Under the title PARITY NOW!, the initiative calls on states across the European Union and the Council of Europe to institutionalise 50/50 parity across political and public leadership structures.

Scope and objectives of the PARITY NOW! initiative

The campaign was launched at European level with coordinated outreach to policymakers, including members of the European Parliament, permanent representations, European institutions, Council of Europe bodies and international organisations. Civil society partners and stakeholder networks are also being informed and invited to support the initiative.

According to the campaign documentation, the objective is to move beyond voluntary progress models and encourage binding or institutional frameworks that support balanced representation in decision-making bodies at national, European and international levels.

Campaign activities and outreach

The launch phase includes an official letter addressed to political and institutional decision-makers, accompanied by a press release and media outreach. The campaign is being presented to journalists and policy stakeholders and is designed to be supported and amplified through national networks and partner organisations.

Participating organisations are encouraged to share campaign information within their countries and professional networks and to contribute to broader visibility around parity in decision-making.

Further campaign presentations and policy discussions are planned in connection with international equality forums, including side events linked to global gender policy platforms.

“Putting women’s and girls’ rights at the core of European policies is a prerequisite to achieving European goals: peace, democracy, inclusion, equality and solidarity, and to a life free from all forms of violence.” - EWL Vice-President Anne Nègre

About the European Women’s Lobby

The PARITY NOW! campaign is led by the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), a European umbrella network of women’s organisations working on equality and women’s rights at European level. The network brings together national and European member organisations and contributes to policy dialogue and advocacy in areas including representation, participation and equality policy.

Detailed campaign materials and background information are available through the European Women’s Lobby communication channels and campaign publications.