In the EU, Luxembourg ranks 9th in Europe, scoring high in knowledge and education, yet falling short when it comes to financial resources and health. Meanwhile, a gender committee assembled in 2024 has presented their findings on the country’s gender policies and practices to parliament.
Where do we go from here, and what’s next?
Speaking to RTL Today, several deputies shared their perspectives and projections for the year ahead.
Sunday’s march took place in the aftermath of enshrining abortion into the constitution, after a period of discussion, revisions, and voting. Another notable point here is that deputies voted as individuals, rather than along party lines. This is rare, with the last such occurrence in 2009 when euthanasia laws were passed.
Lauding the decision as an important step, Member of Parliament Sam Tanson said that the value lies in its permanence – and the fact that even a small country like Luxembourg can set an important example.
“You see that reproductive rights and women’s rights are being questioned or brought back in parts of the world,” the former Minister for Justice said. “By demonstrating that fundamental rights deserve constitutional protection, Luxembourg is sending a very clear message: Women’s autonomy over the body is a fundamental right. And it’s not just a temporary political decision.”
While the law that was ultimately adopted was a freedom rather than a right, President of the Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler stressed that the goal of constitutionalising abortion was to provide a stronger guarantee and protection for this right.
“The most important for me was just that it was in the Constitution. A freedom guarantee, or a right guarantee doesn’t matter to me. The guarantee is there,” he said. This was necessitated, he said, by global shifts.
“If you had asked this question [about constitutionalising abortion] five years ago, there would be an answer: ‘Why should we do it? There’s no problem’, but in the world today, you see that well, there is a problem. We [took that] as a signal for abortion: to guarantee it and to secure it.”
MP Taina Bofferding praised the work of women’s organisations in the lead up to this decision. “There was pressure coming from society and from women’s organisations,” she said. “It’s very important also that we get this pressure and this engagement from social and civil society – that people stand up for their rights, and then finally, politics has to react.”
ADR faction leader Fred Keup said that the constitutionalisation of abortion had been a very sensitive ethical issue.
“At a European and global level, we see that countries are taking very different paths,” he said. “For us, it is important that a society always tries to keep both realities in mind: the support of women, or couples, in difficult situations and the respect for life.”
Ahead of Women’s Day in 2024, a working group was formed with one ultimate goal: to strengthen the inclusivity of Parliament, and to implement concrete measures guaranteeing equality between women and men at both political and administrative levels.
On the status of this project, Tanson said that the Gender Committee has already submitted to parliament their first draft, which is now under discussion. “We had the first round of discussion just last week, and there was a wish expressed by some to have the discussion within their political group first before we take any further steps,” she said. “I hope that we will come to a consensus over the next few weeks.”
Keup questioned the study altogether. “The general question here is whether new committees and studies are always the best solution,” he said. “Such committees often lead to more ideology instead of practical help.”
The deputy’s comments also shed some light on topics that may be under discussion.
“It is clear to us, for example, that we will not start a culture war or a language war where one side starts changing the language and bans the normal language to replace it with left-wing gender-ideological language,” he said. “We see this as excessive ideological politics. Language must not be misused politically!”
Speaking of the audit and parliamentary representation, Wiseler said that while the first stage (audit of parliamentary administration) is complete, a roadmap of practical steps is being built before the public is informed in the coming months.
In terms of the next stage (political audit) he said, “We have 21 women out of 60 – 35% is not where we should be, even if there have been some efforts in Luxembourg society. There’s still a way to go, but I think numbers are increasing from election to election.”
Ahead of the audit results and recommendations, all deputies RTL Today spoke to highlighted different areas that need attention.
For Tanson, it’s workplace policies. “In many domains, Luxembourg has good results like work-life balance policies or parental leave, and the institutional framework for gender equality. These policies also help to create conditions for more equal participation in the labour market,” Tanson said. “But challenges remain: we also see an under-representation of women in leadership roles as well as sectors like STEM.”
Keup said that Luxembourg’s history of equality should be praised, and that it’s important to focus on application rather than theory.
“Luxembourg is doing well because we have long had legal equality: equal pay for equal work, equal rights in education, equal opportunities before the law,” he detailed. “At the same time, it is important for us that ‘equality’ does not become an ideological policy that pits men and women against each other. We want a society where the family is protected as a foundation.”
Wiseler explained that when it comes to the gender gap in pay, Luxembourg needs to be looked at with an informed lens for clearer understanding.
“If you look at the per-hour earnings, you see that women are earning more than men, so we have a negative gender gap,” he said. “But that changes, obviously, if you look at what women earn in a month. What is very clear is that the burden of family life is in reality [shouldered] mostly by women.”
Topics brought up for further progress include stereotypes, domestic violence, care giving, and meritocracy.
“Speaking personally, in my view, [the division of parental leave] is one of the biggest challenges we have,” said Wiseler. “The last reform of this law was in 2016, and the number of men taking parental leave has exploded. So, that’s successful, but I think we’re going to continue with that.”
Another area for improvement is ensuring single-parent families are entitled to the same advantages. Measures to be implemented include new single parent tax credits that come into effect this year, with more reform to follow in 2028.
“I think the big challenge is the fight against gender stereotypes. The goal must be for everyone to reach his or her full potential,” said Bofferding. To combat this, she says more laws are needed, as well as school programmes to start education at an earlier stage. “It’s very important [in order to] prevent sexist behavior, violence, to avoid discrimination.”
Tanson said: “A very important aspect is also intersectionality, and the fact that different women face different barriers depending on different factors. For instance, we have just been discussing migration status and the conditions of asylum seekers that come to Luxembourg.”
Both stressed the need to bring conversations on gender violence into public discussion. Domestic violence in Luxembourg has continued to see a year-on-year increase.
“Something that is still very important is combating gender-based violence,” said Tanson, who introduced a bill for harsher penalties when she was Minister of Justice.
“Sometimes it’s considered as a private thing between families, but in fact, domestic violence is a serious crime, so we have to break the taboo,” Bofferding said. “It’s important that [deputies] use our power to put it on the agenda so that it’s also in discussion in civil society.”
Wiseler pointed to the 57 proposals submitted to the Chamber by The Voice of Survivors association. “This was a question which was taken very seriously by every party,” he said. "[The proposals] are being discussed, of course, and then we’ll see what comes out of it.”
Speaking to RTL Today after the march, the Left’s Ana Correia emphasised the need to celebrate advances for women. “Today, we celebrate that we have abortion in the constitution,” she said. “And next week, we get back to work.”
