Smith, Mark

Despite much legislative progress in gender equality over the past 40 years, there are still gender gaps across many aspects of the labour market. Inequalities are still evident in areas such as access to the labour market, employment patterns and associated working conditions. This report explores gender differences across several dimensions of working conditions, examining relevant country differences, analysing the different occupational groups of both men and women, and comparing the public and private sectors. It also looks at the impact of the crisis on gender segregation in employment. Based on findings from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), conducted in 2010, the analysis offers a striking picture of women and men at work across 34 European countries today.

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.

This report reveals how widespread part-time employment has become as a working arrangement in many parts of Europe. It looks at the national policies influencing part-time employment and the possible impact of this type of work organisation on labour market flexibility. It also examines the variations in the take-up of part-time work between men and women, as well as profiling part-time workers in terms of pay, career prospects and sectoral distribution. In doing so, the report analyses the effects of this working time arrangement on overall work–life balance.

The Foundation’s Company Survey on Working Time and Work–Life Balance 2004–2005 set out to map the use of a variety of working time arrangements in companies, to assess the reasons for their introduction and their impact. This analytical report addresses the issue of parental leave as well as other forms of extended leave, such as leave to care for sick children or other adult family members. It offers a comparative review of the different national parental leave systems in operation, the differential use of parental leave by women and men across the 21 European countries and a discussion of the factors which influence take-up of parental leave by employees.