The GenderWorks conference got underway in Brussels with the launch of a paper that outlines how the recession has led to more women in Europe living in poverty.

An Invisible Crisis - Women's Poverty and Social Exclusion in the European Union at a time of Recession is a paper by Oxfam and the European Women's Lobby and investigates the impact of poverty on women from all over Europe.

The paper exposes the specific issues that affect women more negatively than men and makes a number of recommendations to European policy makers.

Judith Robertson, Head of Oxfam Scotland, officially launched the paper.

Judith said: "Oxfam has a long history of working on gender issues and highlighting the links between gender and poverty. It is no secret that the vast majority of people experiencing poverty are women.

"Oxfam has a rights-based approach and GenderWorks is about making sure women have access to those rights.

"One of the key learnings from GenderWorks is the importance of the participation of women in influencing policy.

"It's fantastic to see such a diverse group of women here tonight. This paper was produced with the aim of influencing EU planning and thinking on gender.

"This year is the EU year of action on poverty and social exclusion and we are pushing for a new gender roadmap in Europe."

Guests at the launch included representatives of women's groups from Scotland, England, Wales, Slovakia, Italy and Austria, as well as David Martin MEP and Secretary General of the European Women's Lobby, Myria Vassiliadou.

Myria said: "The impact of the recession has made existing difficult situations worse, especially for women.

"We hope to make sure that the results of this report are communicated to the people who can make a difference."

Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London then addressed the conference, calling on the European Union to "empower women" if they are serious about changing society for the better.

Jean shared her experiences of how good EU policy has helped make a real difference to women's lives.

She praised the GenderWorks project for its recommendations and conclusions, but added that the real challenge would be making sure that the recommendations are actually used to influence policy.

Jean said: "There are some very good results and some very good policy recommendations. The question is how do we get these to the stage that it helps to shape policy.

"The gender dimension in the EU has improved over the years, but it's still something that we have to fight for. The message we have to give is that if you really want to change society then what you have to do is empower women."

The conference continues throughout today this week, when members of various women's groups from across Europe will share their experiences of poverty.

To find out more about the GenderWorks project, visit www.oxfam.org.uk/genderworks