Europe’S regional partnership for gender equality in the digital age
Progress towards gender equality in Europe is moving slowly, and key dimensions have worsened.  The EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 calls for a Europe where women and men, girls and boys, are equal, where diversity is a recognized asset to the economy and society, and where women have equal opportunities to participate and thrive in society. The EU has committed to improving the structural inequality between men and women, and empowering and promoting the social, economic and political inclusion of women and girls. However, a conclusive strategy for eliminating gender inequality and reshaping institutionalized stereotypes and discriminatory practices has yet to emerge. EQUALS-EU aims to promote gender equity in social innovation by: 1) Building capacity through multilateral partnerships that strengthen existing and formalize new networks for in social innovation and entrepreneurship; 2) Creating smart, sustainable, and inclusive social innovation ecosystems in local communities and cities in Europe and in non-European countries in the Global North and South. In pursuit of these objectives, EQUALS-EU is structured around an ambitious work programme based on targeted measures to achieve gender equality combined with strengthened gender mainstreaming efforts. It comprises six work packages: WP1: Appraise Gender Equity Social Innovation Ecosystems, WP2: Create New Solutions for Gender Equity and Digital Inclusion, WP3: Transform Gender Inequity into Sustainable Social Impact, WP4: Exchange Knowledge and Transfer Technology for Gender Equity, WP5: Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation, and WP6: Management and Coordination. The full scope of EQUALS-EU network activities cover 29 EU Members States and Associated Countries and nine non-European countries in both the Global North and Global South.