Gender equality at work

a report by Jorge Cabrita, Julie Vanderleyden, Isabella Biletta and Barbara Gerstenberger published by Eurofound: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working
 Conditions

Key findings

• Men are more likely to work in more demanding physical environments and have relatively worse working time quality than women, but more likely to enjoy better pay. Men report higher levels of quantitative demands (for instance, working to tight deadlines), while women are much more likely to report being exposed to emotional demands (such as handling angry clients, patients or pupils).
• In terms of social environment, men tend to receive less support from colleagues and managers, while women are much more likely to be exposed to adverse social behaviours, such as threats, verbal abuse or harassment.
• Access to training is more limited among less-skilled occupations; within these occupations, women have even less access to it. 
• Variable forms of pay, such as shares in the company or payments based on company performance, are becoming more common. These pay components are increasing more rapidly among men than women and the gender gap is therefore widening. This is a trend that requires further investigation.
• Mixed occupations – those with the most balanced shares of men and women – not only differ from the male-dominated and the female-dominated occupations but also show better job quality in most, if not all, dimensions. Such occupations also display the smallest differences between men and women.

Abstract

Gender inequality at work persists across Europe, despite the long standing attention paid and efforts made to tackle it. This Eurofound report presents a closer look at women’s and men’s working conditions, using data from Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) and complementing previous Eurofound research on, among other things, working time patterns, work-life balance and workers’ health.

Beyond the general differences in the labour market, it highlights many important gaps in men’s and women’s working conditions and job quality which require specific attention.

According to the EWCS data, the reduction of gender gaps in those areas showing improvement over the last 5 to 10 years remains limited. European and national strategies aimed at achieving job quality for all, that seek to mainstream gender equality, could help address persistent inequalities between men and women.

Full text (PDF 102pp)

Labels:
working_conditions, sustainable_work, work-life_balance, gender_equality, inclusive_markets, labour_market_participation, job_quality,

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