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Abstract

Die COVID-19-Pandemie hatte je nach bestehenden Benachteiligungen unterschiedliche Auswirkungen auf die gesellschaftlichen Gruppen, und es wurde allgemein davon ausgegangen, dass sie zu einer Zunahme der Ungleichheiten in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen geführt hat. Anhand von Indikatoren aus dem Anhand von Indikatoren aus dem mehrdimensionalen Rahmen zur Überwachung der Ungleichheit in der EU (MIMF) wird in diesem Bericht aufgezeigt, wie sich die Ungleichheit in den Bereichen Einkommen, Gesundheit, Beschäftigung und Bildung zwischen 2010 und 2020 verändert hat. Außerdem werden die Hauptursachen für diese Veränderungen während der Pandemie untersucht und die Zusammenhänge zwischen der Regierungspolitik auf verschiedenen Gebieten und der Ungleichheit untersucht.

Key findings

Im ersten Jahr der COVID-19-Krise ging die Einkommensungleichheit weiter zurück, was einen Trend in Richtung weniger Ungleichheit in der EU bestätigt. Bei Arbeitssuchenden und Menschen mit niedrigem und mittlerem Bildungsniveau war es jedoch sehr wahrscheinlich, dass sie während der Pandemie einen Einkommensrückgang hinnehmen mussten. Dies macht deutlich, dass die Einkommensungleichheit zwar insgesamt während der COVID-19-Pandemie nicht zugenommen hat, die politischen Entscheidungsträger dies jedoch in der aktuellen Lebenshaltungskostenkrise genau beobachten müssen.

Gesundheit und Einkommensungleichheit sind eng miteinander verknüpft: Menschen im untersten Einkommensquintil haben fast dreimal so häufig eine Behinderung wie Menschen im höchsten Quintil. Während der Pandemie nahm auch die einkommensabhängige Ungleichheit beim Zugang zu Gesundheitsdiensten zu: im Jahr 2020 war das Risiko eines ungedeckten medizinischen Bedarfs bei den Menschen im untersten Einkommensquintil 5,4-mal höher als bei den Menschen im höchsten Quintil, was verdeutlicht, wie Maßnahmen zur Verringerung von Einkommensungleichheiten auch gesundheitliche Ungleichheiten verringern können.

Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Arbeiten von zu Hause aus während der Pandemie zu Ungleichheiten zwischen Gering- und Besserverdienenden geführt haben könnte, wobei Zeitarbeitnehmer, junge Menschen und Personen in prekären Beschäftigungsverhältnissen krisenanfälliger wurden. Damit sich diese Entwicklung in der zunehmend flexiblen Arbeitswelt nach der COVID-19-Pandemie nicht fortsetzt, werden die politischen Entscheidungsträger dringend gegen prekäre Beschäftigungsverhältnisse vorgehen und die Transparenz und Vorhersagbarkeit der Arbeitsbedingungen erhöhen müssen.

Während der Pandemie war eine angemessene Ausrüstung für das Online-Lernen wichtiger als das Einkommen. Dies zeigt, wie wichtig es ist, die digitale Kluft und die Technologieverfügbarkeit für alle Menschen langfristig anzugehen. Eltern und Schulkinder, die in ländlichen Gebieten lebten und in dieser Zeit nicht pendeln mussten, waren mit der Qualität des Online-Unterreichts oder der Online-Ausbildung eher zufrieden als die Menschen in den Städten.

Die Fähigkeit, von zu Hause aus zu arbeiten, führte zu Ungleichheiten zwischen Gering- und Besserverdienenden und verschärfte geschlechtsspezifische Ungleichheiten bei der Kinderbetreuung und Hausarbeit. Im Jahr 2020 verringerten vor allem alleinerziehende Mütter ihre Arbeitszeit aufgrund der Schließung von Schulen und Kinderbetreuungseinrichtungen. Wenn Frauen weiterhin mehr unbezahlte Betreuungsstunden leisten als Männer, könnte dies das geschlechtsspezifische Lohngefälle während der wirtschaftlichen Erholung vergrößern.

The report contains the following lists of tables and figures.

List of tables

Table 1: Indicators selected for the income inequality analysis
Table 2: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between government spending and inequality in making ends meet according to education level
Table 3: Panel OLS regression exploring general drivers of income inequality (1995–2020), EU27
Table 4: OLS regression model exploring drivers of income inequality between rural and urban households
Table 5: OLS regression model exploring income inequality by individual characteristics
Table 6: Logistic regressions on income inequality by individual characteristics
Table 7: Indicators selected for the health inequality analysis
Table 8: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between government expenditure and inequality in chronic disease
Table 9: Multilevel logit regression model on worsening health between 2019 and 2020
Table 10: Multilevel logit regression models on worsening health and mental health between 2019 and 2020
Table 11: Indicators selected for the employment inequality analysis
Table 12: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between government expenditure and inequality in opportunity in having a white-collar job
Table 13: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between gender inequality in occupations, childcare and paid leave at country level
Table 14: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between gender inequality in being employed, childcare and paid leave at country level
Table 15: Random effects within–between model showing the relationship between gender inequality in employment, over time and between countries
Table 16: Multilevel linear regression model on the number of hours worked in 2019 and 2020
Table 17: Multilevel linear regression model on the change in the number of hours worked between 2018 and 2019 and between 2019 and 2020
Table 18: Indicators selected for inequality in education analysis
Table 19: OLS regression model exploring the relationship between government spending and inequality in PISA scores
Table 20: Determinants of respondents’ satisfaction with the quality of their children’s online schooling (multilevel ordered logit model)

List of figures

Figure 1: Dimensions of life of the EU MIMF
Figure 2: Intersectional approach to effects of COVID-19 on inequality
Figure 3: Macro-, meso- and micro-level factors in income inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 4: Heatmap showing the results of income inequality indicators by country, 2018–2019, EU27 and the UK
Figure 5: Income quintile share ratio (S80/S20) for equivalised disposable income, EU27
Figure 6: Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income, EU27, Bulgaria, Greece and Poland
Figure 7: Odds ratio of a household having problems making ends meet (with versus without a tertiary education, 2018) against spending on education (2015, % of GDP), EU27 and the UK
Figure 8: Odds ratio of a household having problems making ends meet (with versus without a tertiary education, 2018) against spending on social protection (2015, % of GDP), EU27 and the UK
Figure 9: Scatterplot of government spending on social protection (% of GDP at time t–1) relative to the Gini index of disposable income at time t (1995–2020), EU27
Figure 10: Odds ratio of households having problems making ends meet (rural versus urban, 2018) against public investments in agricultural R&D (2015, % of GDP), EU27 and the UK
Figure 11: Households that reported that their income decreased in 2020 compared with the previous year by country (%), selected Member States
Figure 12: Households containing people aged 50+ that received financial support from the government due to the pandemic by country (%), selected European countries
Figure 13: Recipients of pandemic-related government support by country, EU27 (%)
Figure 14: Macro-, meso- and micro-level factors in health inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 15: Heatmap presenting the results of health inequality indicators, 2018–2019, EU27 and the UK
Figure 16: Map of odds ratios of people reporting unmet medical care needs (women versus men, adjusted), 2018
Figure 17: Heatmap of odds ratio of feeling depressed for different social groups, 2018–2019, EU27 and the UK
Figure 18: Risk ratios of having a severe long-standing limitation in usual activities (disability) due to a health problem for various social groups (2010–2020), EU27
Figure 19: Risk ratios of having an unmet medical need due to high cost, distance to travel or waiting lists for various social groups (2010–2020), EU27
Figure 20: Government spending on education in 2002 (% of GDP) relative to ex ante inequality of opportunity in having two or more chronic diseases in 2019 (aged 50+), EU27
Figure 21: Macro-, meso- and micro-level factors in inequality in working life outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 22: Heatmap showing results of working life inequality indicators, 2018–2019, EU27 and the UK
Figure 23: Risk ratios of gender inequality in various dimensions of working life (2002–2020), EU27
Figure 24: Risk ratios of unemployment rates among various social groups (2002–2020), EU27
Figure 25: Risk ratios of employment rates among various social groups (2002–2020), EU27
Figure 26: Odds ratio of women being in employment versus men (2019) against the share of children under three years of age in formal childcare (2019, %), EU27
Figure 27: Average number of weekly hours worked in 2020 by country and contract type, selected EU Member States
Figure 28: Proportion of women who held second or third jobs by household type, 2020 (%)
Figure 29: Macro-, meso- and micro-level factors in inequality in education and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 30: Heatmap showing results of education inequality indicators, 2018–2019, EU27 and the UK
Figure 31: Difference in tertiary education attainment as a whole in 55- to 74-year-olds and those with parents with a lower than tertiary education (2021)
Figure 32: Trends regarding inequality in education between women and men (2002–2020), EU27
Figure 33: Risk and odds ratios of NEET rates between various social groups (2004–2020), EU27
Figure 34: Government spending on education (2013, % of GDP) against P90/P10 PISA scores in mathematics (2018), EU27 and the UK
Figure 35: Parents’ satisfaction with the quality of online schooling for their children, EU27 (%)
Figure 36: Parents’ satisfaction with the quality of their children’s online schooling depending on whether they worked from home or not during the pandemic, EU27 (%)

Number of pages
102
Reference nº
EF22002
ISBN
978-92-897-2309-1
Catalogue nº
TJ-07-23-019-EN-N
DOI
10.2806/439913
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