Gender equality news in Portugal

Latest news and stories about gender equality in Portugal for expats and residents.

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Marches, exhibitions and talks mark International Women's Day

Groups led by the Movimento Democrático de Mulheres are staging demonstrations in 16 cities demanding equality, dignity, better wages and improved public services, while the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) is holding exhibitions, talks and concerts from 9–14 March to mark International Women's Day. Expresso notes the EU pay-transparency directive, to be transposed by June, could force more employer reporting and help expose wage gaps. Those attending public events should check local routes and schedules for marches and parliamentary exhibitions.

The Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) is Portugal's unicameral parliament, located in the Palácio de São Bento in Lisbon. It consists of 230 deputies elected by proportional representation for four-year terms.

The Assembly's powers include making and amending laws, approving the state budget, ratifying international treaties, and overseeing the government through debates, hearings, and committees. It can also pass votes of no confidence to bring down a government, as happened in March 2025.

Following the May 2025 elections, the current parliamentary composition is led by the Democratic Alliance (AD) with the largest share of seats, followed by Chega, PS, and smaller parties including the Liberal Initiative, Left Bloc, Livre, and PCP.

5 sources →8 Mar

Marches, exhibitions and talks mark International Women's Day

CGTP protesters march in Lisbon over labour rights

📍 Lisbon 🏛️ Government 💼 Work#labour-law+3 more

More than a hundred people marched in central Lisbon in a protest organised by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP) demanding equality and opposing a labour package they say will worsen conditions for women. The march moved from Largo de Camões towards the parliament with banners and leaflets criticising the proposed changes. Workers and those concerned about labour rights should follow union and parliamentary developments.

CGTP (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – Intersindical Nacional) regularly publishes studies and proposals on labor market conditions, wages, working time, and employment rights. These reports are used to support the union confederation's negotiating positions with the government and employers.

CGTP studies typically cover topics such as minimum wage adequacy, working hours reform, collective bargaining trends, social security sustainability, and the impact of proposed labor law changes on workers. The confederation uses this research to advocate for positions in tripartite social dialogue (Concertação Social) alongside the UGT union confederation and employer groups.

These publications are significant because they often shape public debate ahead of labor reforms and can influence the pace and direction of legislative changes.

3 sources →6 Mar

CGTP protesters march in Lisbon over labour rights

Share of unemployed who are women rises to 53.5%

💼 Work 🏛️ Government#unemployment+3 more

A CGTP study reported that women now make up 53.5% of the total unemployed in 2025, up from 52.6% the previous year. The increase points to persistent gender differences in the labour market and may influence calls for targeted employment and training policies. Jobseekers and those using employment services should monitor local programmes aimed at reducing gender gaps.

The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is Portugal’s largest trade-union confederation, grouping most unions in manufacturing, public services and many other sectors.

Founded clandestinely in 1970 as “Intersindical” under the dictatorship, it emerged publicly after the 1974 Carnation Revolution and was legalised in 1975. It has been central to virtually all major labour struggles since then, from defending collective bargaining and the 40‑hour week to leading general strikes against austerity and labour‑law rollbacks.

CGTP is historically close to the Portuguese Communist Party and has a class‑struggle, anti‑neoliberal profile, strongly critical of EU and government policies seen as undermining workers’ rights. It favours grassroots mobilisation and strikes over compromise, often refusing national social‑pact deals that the more centrist UGT is willing to sign.

In today’s Portugal, CGTP remains a key actor in wage bargaining, labour‑law debates and national protests; together with UGT it called the first joint general strike in years in December 2025, signalling its continuing capacity to organise mass action.

2 sources →26 Feb

Share of unemployed who are women rises to 53.5%

Recent articles

Assunção Cristas advocates for equal parental leave for fathers and mothers

🏛️ Government 💼 Work 🏠 Property#gender-equality+2 more

Former CDS-PP leader Assunção Cristas proposes equal parental leave for mothers and fathers, alongside tax incentives like Youth IRS extensions, to address Portugal's declining birth rate and gender-based labour market disadvantages.

Correio da Manhã23 Mar