International Women's Day 2008
On the occasion of International Women's Day, celebrated on Saturday
8 March 2008, the Foundation has put together a summary of some of
its
recent
work
on women
and equality issues.
Foundation Findings: Work–life balance – Solving the dilemma
This issue of Foundation Findings deals with work-life balance
in Europe. The EU needs to increase employment rates to ensure continued
economic growth and promote social inclusion. To do this, it needs to
make it easier for individuals to combine their work and family commitments
to facilitate people – women in particular – to enter the labour market.
European Working Conditions Survey Seminar - Quality of work and employment in
Europe: Women or men, does it matter?
Casting the spotlight on the gender dimension in the workplace
inevitably leads to an exploration of the different gendered elements
of the experience of work in Europe. With this aim in mind, this paper
will draw from the findings of the report Gender and working conditions
in the European Union (Burchell et al, 2007). In turn, this report
is based on secondary analysis of the data from the Foundation’s fourth
European Working Conditions Survey, as well as on recently published
research from the Eurofound’s observatories – the European Working
Conditions
Observatory (EWCO) and the European Industrial Relations Observatory
(EIRO).
Foundation Focus - Issue 4: Family matters
This issue of Foundation Focus looks at families in the light
of recent policy developments at EU and national level and based on Foundation
research findings in this area.
Working conditions in the European Union: the gender perspective
This report examines the extent of occupational segregation
by gender and how it impacts on the quality of women’s and men’s working
lives. The analysis is based on findings from the fourth European Working
Conditions Survey carried out across 31 countries, including the 27
EU Member States. The report highlights differences between men and
women
in key aspects of job quality, such as working hours, job satisfaction,
work–life compatibility and work-related health outcomes.
Women and violence at work
This background paper has been drafted to coincide with the
hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and
Gender Equality (November 21st 2007, Brussels) on Women and Violence
at work in the European Union. The European Foundation for the Improvement
of Living and Working Conditions has a track record of research on workplace
bullying, violence and discrimination going back to the 1990s. These
negative aspects of the work experience have in particular been charted
in successive waves of the European Working Conditions Survey [EWCS]
from 1990/1-2005.
Gender and career development
This EIRO comparative study examines the issue of gender and career
development and explores the continuing barriers to achieving equality
of opportunity in this area. Looking at the current European Union countries
(with the exception of Sweden) and Norway, the study explores the extent
to which career patterns are changing in response to the restructuring
of work and organisations and how this impacts on women’s career experiences.
It also examines the attitudes of the social partners regarding gender
and career development.
Foundation Focus - Issue 3: Equal opportunities – the catch-up game
This issue of Foundation Focus places the spotlight on equal
opportunities, viewed in the light of recent policy developments at EU
and national level and based on Foundation research findings in this
area.
Innovative gender equality measures in the transport industry
This report aims to investigate the development and implementation
of innovative measures designed to foster gender equality in the transport
sector. To this end, the report outlines and analyses eight innovative
measures that have been taken by national trade unions or other social
partner groups in seven countries: Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, the
Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). The common characteristic
uniting all of these measures is their central objective of improving
gender equality at the workplace in a number of transport subsectors.
Fourth European Working Conditions Survey
One important finding is that the difference between the amount of unpaid
work that is carried out by European men and women is huge. It exists throughout
all age groups
but it is particularly
important for those aged 30 to 45, the years in which family responsibilities
are most pressing. According to Foundation estimates, women workers
in this age group spend on average 20 to 25 more hours per week on care
or housework duties than their male colleagues. This has an impact
on the
number of paid working hours of men and women: whereas middle-aged men
tend to work
slightly longer hours than younger or older generations, women work fewer
paid hours on average during the ‘family-intensive’ years.
The gender pay gap
Although collective agreements and minimum wage laws are in principle gender-neutral,
women still end up earning less than men. This paper briefly explores some
different facets of the ‘gender pay gap’ issue, based on data collected from
two of the Foundation’s projects: the European
Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) report on pay developments in 2005, and the fourth European Working
Conditions
Survey, published in February 2007.
Parental leave in European companies
Parental leave constitutes a major policy component for
promoting work–life balance for employees with caring responsibilities.
For women in particular, the length of leave taken, whether it is taken
on a full-time or part-time basis, and whether or not employment is resumed
at the end of the leave period, will depend on the overall work–family
reconciliation package they have access to. This includes the availability
and cost of childcare services as well as the working time requirements
expected of mothers at their workplace, either with employers demanding
their return to work on a full-time basis or providing for alternative
opportunities such as reduced or flexible working hours.
Working time and work-life balance in European companies
According to the results, the most frequently mentioned category
of employees who work part time are mothers. On average, about two thirds
(66%) of the establishments that have any form of part-time work state
that their part-time employees include mothers with pre-school or school
children. In addition, just over half (52%) of the establishments employ
women without children or with grown-up children among their part-time
workforce. Evidently, the need to care for children is still one of the
most immediate and common reasons for working part time.
Employment developments in childcare services for school-age children
The European Council and Commission recognise the importance of ensuring
suitable childcare services as an essential step towards achieving gender
equality
and increasing female labour market participation. Although the motivation
for childcare policy development has been led by demands to strengthen
the economy by increasing women’s labour market participation, quality
of life issues significantly impact on women’s labour market participation
and are central to offsetting the current declining birth rates and ageing
population across Europe. The quality of childcare provision does
not impact solely on the children attending care facilities, but also affects
their parents and communities.