Although the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was established in 1995, many of the challenges identified then remain relevant in 2020 (such as the gender pay gap, unequal distribution of unpaid work or experiences of gender-based violence, to name just a few). This report both tracks progress against these long-standing challenges and goes beyond them to assess new challenges that have emerged in recent years, including those brought by digitalisation, recent migration flows and a mounting backlash against gender equality.

The report is the fifth review of the overall developments at EU level related to the 12 BPfA areas of concern. The report focuses particularly on trends and developments observed since 2013, picking up where the last such review (Beijing + 20, review period 2007-2012) left off. The report covers research and policy developments only up to March 2019, with a few exceptions in cases where important EU-level developments have happened more recently (such as the coming into force of the Work–Life Balance Directive or the recent elections to the European Parliament). Much of this review also reflects on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all UN Member States in 2015.