Wednesday, 17 june 2009
Equality in a time of crisis
The recession could hit working women harder than men, an EU study warns, underscoring persistent disparities between the sexes in the European labour market. Already in good times, unemployment and poverty are more common among women than men. This is partly because many women – about one-third - work part-time, including on temporary contracts, which undermines their job security.
Women also hold fewer positions of responsibility than men and are concentrated in less lucrative professions. „The economic slowdown is likely to affect women more than men because women are more often in precarious jobs“, the report says.
The EU has made strides over the last decades, adopting legislation on equal treatment and introducing measures to advance women. But discrimination remains a problem in the workplace.
And women still shoulder more of the responsibility for children than men and often have to cut back on work after they become mothers. The EU has also proposed changes in existing laws to help parents balance work with family life.
The economy has shed more than 4 million jobs since April 2008. Initially male-dominated industries - like finance, construction and manufacturing - bore the brunt. But unemployment has spread well beyond these sectors.
The services sector, which accounts for two-thirds of jobs in the European economy, has also trimmed its workforce. . Women account for about half the people employed in services, including more than 60% in retail trade.
The report also highlighted the gap in wages. Women across the EU earn on average 17.4% less than men for every hour worked. Yet the number of people working is rising and 59% of all new university graduates are female.