The European Commission’s 2009 annual report on equality between men and women points to some significant improvements in women’s labour market participation. However, there are risks that the economic crisis could cause a setback, unless efforts to eliminate gender inequalities in employment are continued and intensified. The report notes, for example, that the downturn could be used as a reason to cut or limit gender equality measures.
Each year, the European Commission issues a report to the Spring European Council on developments towards gender equality in the EU Member States, presenting future challenges and priorities in this area. The 2009 report notes that while there are positive trends towards gender equality, inequalities persist. Moreover, the current economic crisis has raised concerns that the achievements in gender equality are at risk and that the effects of the recession will put greater pressure on women. The report notes that the ‘downturn could be used as a reason to limit or cut gender equality measures’. At the same time, a number of key challenges remain in the economic and social context where gender equality policies have a key role to play – in particular, regarding the need for labour markets to function better, the sustainability and adequacy of social protection, and the ageing of society.
Main report findings
Labour market participation
The report notes that gender gaps persist as regards employment rates, pay, working hours, positions of responsibility, share of care and household duties. On the other hand, improvements are observed in relation to the increasing participation of women in the labour market, where the female employment rate has increased by 7.1 percentage points in the past decade, reaching an employment rate of 59.1% in 2008 – which is close to the Lisbon target of 60% for 2010. The report also highlights that, while the initial impact of the economic crisis led to an increase in men’s unemployment rate in the EU, in recent months female and male unemployment rates have been rising at the same pace. Furthermore, as women’s jobs are concentrated in the public sector, they could be disproportionately affected by job losses due to future cuts in public spending.
Negative structural factors
Moreover, specific structural labour market factors that are a disadvantage to women include their higher incidence of precarious employment contracts, involuntary part-time work and an unfavourable pay gap, averaging at 17.6% across the EU. While women’s educational position has improved considerably, in work they continue to be concentrated in traditionally feminised and often lower-paid jobs and positions, for example in healthcare and education.
Family care responsibilities
Women also continue to bare the major responsibility for family caring responsibilities. At the same time, the report underlines that the ‘strong influence of parenthood on employment participation is linked to traditional gender roles and the lack of childcare facilities in many Member States’. Regarding the gender distribution in terms of care, two thirds of the 20 million Europeans aged 15–64 years with care responsibilities for adult dependents are female. This care responsibility plays a role in the low employment rate of women aged 55–64 years – which at 36.8 % in 2008, was 18.2 percentage points lower than that of men.
Priority areas
Based on its findings, the report concludes that efforts to eliminate gender inequalities in employment must be continued and intensified, and that the gaps in terms of employment, pay and decision making must be narrowed. Women must have access to better jobs and labour market segregation has to be reduced. For this reason, reducing the gender pay gap and tackling the underlying causes remain a priority. Other priorities for the European Commission include:
- supporting reconciliation between work and private/family life for both women and men;
- promoting social inclusion and gender equality;
- preventing and combating gender-based violence;
- transforming commitment to gender equality into action and results.
Future initiatives
In 2010, the European Commission will renew its commitment to promoting gender equality by adopting a gender equality strategy to follow up the current Roadmap for equality between women and men. The Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs will also be updated.
Sonia McKay, Working Lives Research Institute