on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU (2012/2116(INI)) The European Parliament, – having regard to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women on 15 September 1995 and to Parliament's resolutions of 18 May 2000 on the follow-up to the Beijing Action Platform(1), of 10 March 2005 on 'the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women – Platform for Action (Beijing+10)(2) and of 25 February 2010 on the follow-up to the Beijing Action Platform (Beijing +15)(3), – having regard to the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), – having regard to Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, which emphasises values common to the Member States such as pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity, and equality between men and women, – having regard to Article 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which refers to combating discrimination based on sex, – having regard to Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast)(4), and Council Directive 2004/113/EC of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services(5), – having regard to Directive 2002/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2002 amending Council Directive 76/207/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions(6), – having regard to the Council Conclusions of 2 December 1998 establishing that the annual assessment of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action will include quantitative and qualitative indicators and benchmarks, – having regard to the common declaration by EU ministers for gender equality made on 4 February 2005 in the context of the 10-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action, in which, inter alia, they reaffirm their strong support for, and commitment to, full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, – having regard to the Council Conclusions of 2 and 3 June 2005 in which Member States and the Commission are invited to strengthen institutional mechanisms for promoting gender equality and to create a framework for assessing the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, in order to develop more consistent and systematic monitoring of progress, – having regard to the European Pact for Gender Equality (2011-2020), adopted by the European Council in March 2011(7), – having regard to the Commission's 'Strategy for equality between women and men: 2010-2015', presented on 21 September 2010, and the accompanying staff working document on actions to implement the strategy (COM(2010)0491, SEC(2010)1080), – having regard to its resolution of 3 September 2008 on how marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men(8), – having regard to its resolution of 13 March 2012 on equality between women and men in the European Union(9), – having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure, – having regard to the report of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A7-0401/2012), A. whereas Article 8 TFEU states that in all its activities the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women; B. whereas, despite some progress having been made in many Member States, many women continue to carry a disproportionate share of the burden when it comes to raising children and taking care of other dependants; whereas the persistence of stereotypes acts as a barrier to the sharing of family and domestic responsibilities between women and men and hinders the achievement of equality in the labour market; C. whereas stereotypes still exist at all levels of society and in all age groups, affecting how we perceive each other through oversimplified assumptions based on socially constructed norms, practices and beliefs that are often cultural, and religion-based and -fostered, and which reflect and perpetuate underlying power relations; D. whereas all direct and indirect forms of gender discrimination should be eliminated in order to guarantee women the right to equal treatment and change the cultural perception that women are in many ways passive or lesser beings than men; E. whereas traditional gender roles and stereotypes continue to have a strong influence on the division of roles between women and men in the home, in the workplace and in society at large, with women depicted as running the house and caring for children while men are depicted as wage-earners and protectors; whereas gender stereotypes tend to perpetuate the status quo of inherited obstacles to achieving gender equality, and to limit women's range of employment choices and personal development, impeding them from realising their full potential as individuals and economic players, and therefore constitute strong obstacles to the achievement of equality between women and men; F. whereas gender roles are shaped and imposed through a