CES examines situation of women

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In December 2003, the tripartite Economic and Social Council (CES) issued a report on 'the situation of women in the social and labour reality of Spain'. It finds that there has been a sharp rise in the female labour market participation rate but that women's situation is still unfavourable in comparison with men with regard to unemployment, temporary employment and occupational segregation.

The Economic and Social Council (Consejo Económico y Social, CES) is a tripartite body that draws up reports that are used as a reference point for building consensus between the social partners and the government. In December 2003, it published a 'Second report on the situation of women in the social and labour reality of Spain' (II Informe sobre la situación de las mujeres en la realidad sociolaboral española), which provides information and makes a number of recommendations. The CES report and latest official figures from the Survey of the Active Population (Encuesta de Población Activa, EPA) labour force survey indicate that there has been a sharp rise in the female participation rate, but that women's situation remains unfavourable in comparison with men with regard to unemployment, temporary employment and occupational segregation

Main findings

According to the CES, women join the labour market late, and this is particularly true of the group born between 1975 and 1979. This is due to the fact that their education is longer, which has perhaps favoured their employment and participation rates. However, the report also observes that 'training is a necessary but not sufficient condition for raising the employability of women', and that their situation is less favourable than that of men in terms of access to employment, unemployment levels and employment conditions.

The CES observes 'the irreversible process of integration and progress of women in the Spanish labour market, which began later than in most European countries but (perhaps for this reason) is now occurring at a faster rate'. In late 2003, the female labour market participation rate was 43.9% (according to EPA figures for the fourth quarter), though it is still lower than that of women in the rest of the EU, and than that of men. The proportion of all employed women who are in in paid employment has also increased greatly in the last decade, reaching a rate of 85.17% in 2003 (according to the EPA), compared with 74.3% in 1992.

With regard to employment conditions, the report points out the high rate of temporary employment (ES0109201F), which affects women (33.7%) far more than men (28.6%). It also highlights the low rate of part-time employment in Spain (6.92% of all workers - 5.29% of men and 7.32% of women), for which there are several reasons: 'competition' with temporary employment, due to the flexibility offered by the latter (though 53% of part-time female workers were also on temporary contracts in 2001, according to the CES); the low number of branches of activity that use part-time employment (ES0106245F); and the low pay and low promotion that it involves. In the opinion of the CES, the relationship between flexibility and reconciliation of work and family life must be explored by facilitating the conversion of full-time into part-time jobs through collective bargaining.

The report also analyses occupational segregation between sexes. The occupational pattern as recorded in the National Classification of Occupations (Clasificación Nacional de Ocupaciones, CNO) is changing. Women are increasingly being employed in occupational groups associated with higher qualifications, and there are fewer administrative-type jobs. A 'greater diversification of professional activities' is also observed. However, a dual pattern is detected. There is a strong 'feminisation' of the occupations that involve higher qualifications or control over one’s work (advanced technicians and professionals), but there is also an increase of female employment in those that require no qualifications and allow little control over one's work, even among younger women with higher levels of education.

The occupations in which there was a greater presence of women than men in 2003 were the following, according to the CES:

• management of retail firms without employees (53.7% female);

• professions associated with a university diploma and similar (57.6%), particularly life sciences and health (76.4%) and education (65.7%);

• technical support and professional staff, particularly in child education, aviation, sailing and driving instructors (61.9%) and administrative management (63.9%);

• administrative employees (62.8%), particularly administrative assistants, cashiers and people dealing with the public;

• workers in personal catering services, protection and shop assistants (61.1%), particularly personal services (77.8%) and shop assistants and similar (57.6%); and

• unskilled workers in services, including home workers and domestic cleaning staff (92.5%).

With regard to unemployment, in 2002 the rate among women was 16.3% compared with 7.7% for men (according to Eurostat), and in the fourth quarter of 2003 it was 15.56% (EPA). The female unemployment rate is thus twice the EU average. The proportion of long-term unemployment among women is twice that among men, and CES concludes that 'the problem of the high unemployment in Spain is a problem of female unemployment'.

Recommendations

The CES sets some objectives and makes a number of recommendations (ES0312102F) on employment policies that aim to achieve a higher participation rate for women. These include: promoting a social policy that takes the burden of housework off women, within a clear policy of reconciling work and family life; increasing the average level of education of women in the central age groups; reducing occupational segregation and indirect discrimination through equal opportunities policies; and improving the quality and stability of employment.

Furthermore, the CES points to a need to improve statistical systems to account for the different factors involved in the 'wage gap' between men and women, because instruments that could help to analyse this phenomenon in all its complexity do not exist.

Commentary

The social and labour position of women is characterised by the pressures to which they are subjected. First, even today many women still suffer from the phenomenon known as the 'double burden' whereby they do most of the housework and childcare in addition to having paid employment, and therefore lack freedom to enjoy their personal lives. Second, the model of a single-income family is no longer sufficient for today's situation, particularly among poorer people for whom the price of housing (ES0302106F) and the cost of living (there has recently been a sharp increase in the price of basic goods) makes it necessary for several members of the family to obtain an income. Third, despite the fact that on average they now have a longer education, women suffer from more precarious conditions of employment, with high rates of instability, lower pay and fewer promotion opportunities. Fourth, in Spain there are not enough cheap, accessible public services or measures to assist reconciliation of work with family life that provide sufficient protection for women in their situation of disadvantage. In summary, current wage relations and the existing social culture subordinate women and have a great influence on their working and living conditions. (Daniel Albarracín, CIREM Foundation)