ABSTRACT
This chapter is the outcome of a successful and lively debate, taking place in the course of the Women in the Mediterranean event organized within the context of the Festival d'Europa 2015 in Florence. What emerges is a kaleidoscope of overlapping images, realities, information, all hinting at the fact that women are still experiencing inequality on both the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. In the EU's Mediterranean countries social patterns have evolved and women now are strongly present on the labour market and have become financially independent. Nevertheless, inequalities persist, as women's employment rate is still lower than men's. There are other misleading commonplaces, which need to be better conceptualized and understood, such as the alleged incompatibility between Islam and women rights. Unfortunately, women's rights are still under attack even in European countries where they are considered established.
