Attitudes towards gender equality in the workplace

Karu, Marre; Roosaar, Liis

Overview

Article

Attitudes towards gender equality in the workplace

Published: 22 October 2006

In 2006, the Institute of International and Social Studies (Rahvusvaheliste ja Sotsiaaluuringute Instituut) at Tallinn University (Tallinna Ülikool) in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs (Sotsiaalministeerium) launched a survey entitled ‘Monitoring gender equality’ (in Estonian, 448Kb PDF) [1]. As part of the survey, 1,000 individuals aged between 15 and 74 years were interviewed in October 2006 by Saar Poll, the social and market research company. [1] http://www.sm.ee/est/HtmlPages/SVmonitooring_2005/$file/SVmonitooring_2005.pdf

Although the gender gap in labour market participation has narrowed, gender differences in everyday experiences in the workplace and wage levels persist. Most men and a large proportion of women support the traditional division of labour, find differences in salaries justifiable and regard family and childcare as being mainly the responsibility of women. Meanwhile, the number of women preferring to work part time has increased.

In 2006, the Institute of International and Social Studies (Rahvusvaheliste ja Sotsiaaluuringute Instituut) at Tallinn University (Tallinna Ülikool) in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs (Sotsiaalministeerium) launched a survey entitled ‘Monitoring gender equality’ (in Estonian, 448Kb PDF). As part of the survey, 1,000 individuals aged between 15 and 74 years were interviewed in October 2006 by Saar Poll, the social and market research company.

Labour market participation

Only 22% of women and 33% of men believe that men and women have access to equal opportunities in the Estonian labour market. Although the statistics show a narrowing of the gender gap in relation to labour market participation, the participation rate for women is still lower than for men (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Labour market participation rate, employment rate and unemployment rate of men and women in Estonia (15–74 year age group), 1997 and 2005

Source: Statistics Estonia

Work ambitions

Men are more work-oriented and women are more family-oriented in Estonia. Around 46% of men and 34% of women declared that work was the most important thing in their lives at the time of interview, while 37% of men and 53% of women regarded family as the most important aspect of their lives. Some 69% of men and only 27% of women would continue to work full time if their partner earned enough for both of them. Working part time has become more appealing for women and almost half of the women interviewed would choose to work part time if it were possible. According to the Labour Force Survey 2005, only 11% of women and 5% of men worked part time.

Figure 2: Parents’ preference if one partner earns enough for both, 2003 and 2005 (%)

Source: Monitoring gender equality, 2006

Salaries

Overall, 43% of men and 25% of women agree that the salary of men should be higher than the salary of women. Moreover, men demand higher salaries than women do. In the last year, only 15% of women asked for a rise in salary and 25% actually received an increase in salary (compared with 27% and 50% of men respectively).

In 2004, on average, the salary of women in Estonia reflected only 76.5% of the salaries of men (Statistics Estonia, Statistikaamet).

Occupational gender segregation

More than half of the respondents work in companies where men assume the management roles . Some 75% of men and 33% of women have mainly male managers in the companies they work for, while 7% of men and 40% of women work mostly under female managers. In 2005, 50% of individuals preferred to work with a male manager, compared with 37% in 2003. In comparison with 2003, more women and fewer men prefer to work with a male manager.

Some 70% of women work in a mainly female and 70% of men in a mainly male environment. Both men and women have a very definite perception of the appropriate gender division of occupations. Both sexes classify jobs such as plumber, transport worker, building materials salesperson, factory manager, taxi driver and surgeon as being more suitable for men. Positions such as kindergarten teacher, flower shop salesperson or cleaner are generally regarded as female occupations. Male jobs are believed to require more physical strength and technical intelligence, while women are considered to take up more caring and aesthetically creative roles.

Moreover, children are educated according to the same system of values. Both sexes believe that driving a car, working in mechanics and managing money, pursuing a career and setting up a business are the most important skills to teach a boy. Conversely, cooking, beauty therapy, managing money and etiquette are regarded as important qualities and skills to teach to girls.

Assessment of current situation

Table 1 provides an overview of the situations faced by men and women in the workplace and the prevailing gender differences.

**Table 1: Gender differences in Estonian labour market (% of respondents who agree with the statement)**
Gender differences and current situations in Estonian labour market
	True, but not right		True and right
	Female	Male	Female	Male
Women have a double workload: unlike men, they have a job and also work at home	65	49	20	25
Work provided by women is less valued than the work of men	55	40	6	13
Employers expect that if a woman is the breadwinner, she will accept a salary unequal to the quality of work she provides	44	36	4	10
Employers consider that men are more often the breadwinners	23	11	31	47
Men have jobs with higher salaries	46	22	28	46
Men refuse to work for the low salaries offered to women	39	22	37	53
Men put their careers first more often than women do	37	21	39	55
Men are thought to be better managers than women	34	23	22	41
Women are afraid of the workload of a managerial role	16	16	22	30
Women cannot devote more time to work due to family responsibilities	25	18	21	38

Source: Monitoring gender equality, 2006

Reconciling work and family life

About 60% of both men and women agree that family life and children limit the career prospects of women, but only 13% of women and 24% of men consider a family and children to be an obstacle in the careers of men. This is largely due to the traditional division of household duties and childcare responsibilities. For example, women still do most of the homework, and it is usually the mother who stays home from work when a child is sick. In all, 56% of mothers and 18% of fathers of children aged under 12 years have remained at home with a child during the previous year. Most of the women and men (55% and 72% respectively) see a father’s role as the breadwinner of the family and do not approve of paternity leave, and 85% of both men and women agree that a father cannot and should not replace a mother during the period of breastfeeding.

Finally, the needs of women in relation to parental responsibilities are generally more accepted at the workplace than the needs of fathers, as Table 2 illustrates.

**Table 2: Workplace arrangements for parents with young children (% of respondents who agree with the statement)**
Workplace arrangements for parents with young children
	Women	Men
It is not difficult for a mother with a child aged under 12 years to refuse to work overtime	48	42
It is not difficult for a father with a child aged under 12 years to refuse to work overtime	40	35

It is easier for women to work part time to care for children	40	40
It is easier for men to work part time to care for children	27	27

A mother can stay at home with a sick child under 12 years old	58	58
A father can stay at home with a sick child under 12 years old	39	42

Source: Monitoring gender equality, 2006

Marre Karu and Liis Roosaar, Praxis Centre for Policy Studies

Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.

Eurofound (2006), Attitudes towards gender equality in the workplace, article.