The march is organised by JIF (Journée Internationale des Femmes), bringing together 20 associations supporting women’s rights.
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The march sheds an important light on continuing gender inequalities. JIF highlights four main issues: a roof over one’s head, a life without violence, financial stability and family equality.
The right to affordable and decent housing should be enshrined in the constitution, argues the CID | Women and Gender, one of the members of the JIF platform. One of the policies the group is urgently calling for is increased capacity of shelters for victims of domestic violence.
In terms of safety, JIF is appealing for increased effort to prevent violence and provide better support for victims. National statistics agency STATEC noted in 2022 that one in five women in Luxembourg are survivors of physical, sexual or psychological violence.
Financially speaking, the associations point out that despite the reduction of the gender pay gap in Luxembourg, women actually suffer from numerous economic and social disadvantages: their annual pay is lower than that of men, as is their employment rate. But they are more likely to work part-time. Once they retire, this results in a much lower income than men.
Women also have longer maternity leave, which places the burden of childcare duties more heavily on their shoulders. In this respect, JIF is calling for three months of equal leave. Moreover, most domestic tasks are still done by women; these must be better distributed.
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In a previous report on “Work and Social Cohesion”, STATEC noted that career breaks for childcare are the norm for women (72% have interrupted their careers for at least one month), while they remain the exception for men (only 16%).
