EFFAT Launches "Unequal No More" Campaign to Combat Gender Inequality Across Food, Agriculture, Tourism, and Domestic Work Sectors

Apr 22, 2025| Featured, In the spotlight, News & Media, Press release, Publications

Copenhagen, 22 April 2025

Today, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) launched a groundbreaking campaign to tackle entrenched gender inequalities across the sectors it represents. The "Unequal No More - Strengthening Gender Equality in EFFAT Sectors" campaign was officially launched during the EFFAT Executive Committee meeting in Copenhagen. The findings of the two-year project highlight alarming disparities in pay, working conditions, and career advancement opportunities for millions of women workers in agriculture, food processing, hospitality, and domestic work.

The following are some notable figures relating to this disparity:

• Agriculture: Women in Spain earn up to 30% less than their male counterparts, despite equal productivity. Migrant women often face even more challenging circumstances.
• Food and Drink: Women represent nearly 50% of workers in food production and 70% in drink production. However, the gender pay gap can reach up to 18%.
• Tourism: Women constitute over 50% of the workforce, yet they are predominantly concentrated in low-paid positions with limited opportunities for career advancement. They also face twice the risk of sexual harassment compared to their male counterparts.
• Domestic Work: Women make up 83% of domestic workers in the EU, but issues of undeclared work and abusive conditions, particularly affecting migrant women, are prevalent.

"These statistics are not just numbers; they reflect the harsh realities millions of women face every day in the workplace," said Grace Papa, EFFAT Coordinator of the Gender Equality Project. "With the 'Unequal No More' campaign, we are equipping trade unions with the tools to tackle these inequalities head-on and foster real, lasting change across our sectors."

The campaign launched with two key resources: an Action and Advocacy Guide offering practical strategies for tackling workplace inequalities, and a Template Company Agreement to facilitate company negotiations on gender equality measures.

The Chair of the EFFAT Women's Committee said: "From Spanish agricultural fields to European kitchens, hotels, and households, women's work is consistently undervalued and underpaid. Our message is clear: when women rise, our sectors rise! This campaign provides the practical tools needed to turn that message into tangible reality.

The campaign also emphasises the compounding effects of discrimination, with migrant women and those from ethnic minorities facing additional barriers and heightened risks of exploitation.

Through coordinated action, EFFAT and its affiliated unions aim to address systemic issues, including but not limited to unequal pay, occupational segregation, limited work-life balance, and workplace violence and harassment. The goal of this collaborative effort is to create workplaces where women can thrive across all represented sectors.

Further information is available on our project website: https://unequalnomore.effat.org/

#UnequalNoMore