International Women's Day centenary 1911–2011

Understanding gender issues in drug use and drug addiction is a critical requirement to developing effective responses. In Europe, up to a quarter of people who have developed serious problems related to the use of illegal drug use are women. The EMCDDA has been monitoring and reporting on drug-related gender issues since 1995. To mark International Women's Day (8 March), the EMCDDA highlights some of the materials on its website specifically relating to women and drugs. This year sees 100 years of International Women's Day having been celebrated around the world.

Related links and resources

EMCDDA products

• Women's voices (Thematic paper, EMCDDA, 2009)
• Sexual assaults facilitated by drugs or alcohol (Technical datasheet, EMCDDA, 2008)
• A gender perspective on drug use and responding to drug problems (Selected issue, EMCDDA, 2006)
• Differences in patterns of drug use between women and men (Technical datasheet, EMCDDA, 2005)
• Problems facing women drug users and their children (Selected issue, EMCDDA, 2000)
• Women and gender issues in drug use thematic page

Papers by EMCDDA staff

• 'Gender and regional differences in client characteristics among substance abuse treatment clients in the Europe', Montanari, L. et al. (2011), Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy
• 'Drug use and pregnancy – challenges for public health', Gyarmathy, V A et al. (2009), Eurosurveillance
• 'Sexual assaults facilitated by drugs or alcohol', Olszewski, D., (2009) Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy
• 'Ethnic minority women and drug use', Montanari, L. and Meacham, M. (2007), EMCDDA

Articles and news releases

• Monitoring drug-facilitated sexual assault (Drugnet Europe 62, 2007)
• Male and female drug use: Is the gap narrowing? (News release 3, 2005)

External links

• European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)
• International Women's Day page (United Nations website)
• Strategy on on equal opportunities for women and men within the European Commission (2010 – 2014) (December, 2010)
• EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding meets European business leaders to push for more women in boardrooms (March 2011)