Review of the Implementation of the BPfA
Women and the Economy
Reconciliation of Work and Family Life as a Condition of Equal Participation in the Labour
Market
Report
October 20-21, 2011Krakow
The aim and main objectives of the Report
The aim: to review progress at EU and Member State levels in implementing objective 6 of Area F: Women and the Economy of the BPfA: Promote harmonization of work and family responsibilities for women and men.
The objectives: • to give an overview on recent legislative and
policy developments at EU level in the area; • to assess recent developments in the EU
according to the indicators chosen by the Polish Presidency;
• to give an overview on and evaluate the available data in this area at EU level;
• to produce a comprehensive report on developments in implementing the BPfA in Area F: Women and the Economy
Methodology • Literature review: reports, documents, secondary sources of
information. • Harmonized data sources collected and available at EU level:
Eurostat; Eurofound; MISSOC.• Other data sources: OECD, CoE, HETUS, SHARE, UNECE,
independent research.• Review of 7 adopted indicators, new indicators were not
foreseen.• There are no data specifically collected for the Beijing
indicators in the area of reconciliation of work, private and family life.
• The absence of a strategy in collecting data for monitoring the BPfA indicators.
• Lack of available data on EU level on the latest developments in the allocation of parental leave (mostly country-specific studies).
Indicators reviewedStrategic objective - promote harmonization of work
and family responsibilities for women and men.
Indicators:1. Employed women and men on parental leave (paid
and unpaid) – within the meaning of the Parental Leave Directive 96/34/EC
2. Allocation of parental leave between employed men and women as a proportion of all parental leave
3. Children cared for (other than by the family) as a proportion of all children of the same age group: before entry into non-compulsory pre-school system (during the day); in non-compulsory or equivalent pre-school system (outside pre-school hours); in compulsory primary education (outside school hours)
Indicators reviewed (cont’d.)4. Comprehensive and integrated policies, particularly
employment policies, aimed at promoting a balance between working and family life for both men and women.
5. Dependent elderly men and women (unable to look after themselves on a daily basis) over 75: living in specialised institutions; who have help (other than the family) at home; looked after by the family as a proportion of men and women over 75.
6 + 7 Total ‘tied’ time per day for each employed parent living with partner/living alone, having one or more children under 12 years old or a dependent: paid working time; travelling time; basic time spent on domestic work; other time devoted to the family (upbringing and care for children and care of dependent adults).
Employment rate by sex and gender gap in the EU27 (age group 20-64), 2000 and 2010
Employment target(Europe 2020)
0
10203040
50607080
90
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Employ
men
t rate,
percen
t
0
10203040
50607080
90
Gend
er gap
, perce
ntag
e points
Employment rate - men Employment rate - women Gender gap
Source: Eurostat, LFS
Part-time among women and men in the EU27 (age group 20-64), 2010
7,2
30,8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
BG SK HU LT CZ RO GR PL LV CY PT SI EE FI ES MT IT FR EU27 IE DK LU SE UK BE AT DE NL
Percentage
Men Women Source: Eurostat, LFS
Unemployment rate by sex and gender gap in the EU27 (age group 20-64), 2000 – 2010
-5
0
5
10
15
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Unem
ploy
men
t rat
e, pe
rcen
t
-5
0
5
10
15
Gend
er g
ap, p
erce
ntag
e poi
nts
Unemployment rate - men Unemployment rate - women Gender gap
Source: Eurostat, LFS
Gender Gaps in the Labour Market in EU*, 2006 and 2010
-25,0 -20,0 -15,0 -10,0 -5,0 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0
Unemployment rates in age group 20-64
Inactive population in age group 20-64
Part-time employment in age group 20-64
Employment rates in age group 20-64
Gender gap in percentage points
2006
2010
Source: Eurostat, LFS
Note: A positive gap indicates higher rate for men in comparison with women, while the opposite is true for a negative gap.
Allocation of parental leave btwn men & women 2008, 2009, 2010 Countries (year of
collected data)Women Men
Czech Republic (2008) 98 2Estonia (2010) 93.1 6.9France (2010) 97 3Greece (2010) 85 15Ireland (2010) 84 16Lithuania (2010) 93 7Latvia (2010) 74.6 25.4Malta (2010) 98 2Romania (2010) 82 18Slovakia (2010) 99.8 0.2 Slovenia (2008) 96 4 Spain (2010)
96 4
Expenditure to compensate the parents for the loss of
earnings due to childbirth*, 2000 and 2008
Source: Eurostat, ESSPROS
Note: The expenditure on parental leave benefit and on income maintenance benefit in the event of childbirth are included.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
MT PL RO CY PT BE AT IT GR ES BG IE FR EU27 SK DE LV UK SI HU LT DK EE CZ FI SE LU
Purc
hasi
ng P
ower
Sta
ndar
d pe
r inh
abita
nt
2000 2008
Children cared for by parents by age groups: under 3 years and from 3 years to minimum
compulsory school age, 2009
Sources: Eurostat, EU SILC
51
10
0102030405060708090
NL PT DK CY GR SE RO UK LU SI EE FR ESEU27 IT IE BE CZ AT PL DE FI LV BG SK MT LT HU
Percen
tage
Less than 3 years From 3 years to minimum compulsory school age
Children under 3 cared for in formal childcare institutions, 2009
Barcelona target
14
13
01020304050607080
PL CZ SK RO HU BG MT AT LT GR LV DE IE CY EE IT FI EU27 SI BE LU UK PT ES FR NL SE DK
Percen
tage
1-29 hours 30+ hoursBarcelona target
Sources: Eurostat, EU SILC
Children between 3 and the minimum compulsory school age in formal childcare institutions, 2009
Barcelona target
40
44
0102030405060708090
100
PL BG LT GR RO CZ LU HU LV SK FI MT AT CY PT DK EU27 IE NL DE SI UK EE IT ES SE FR BE
Perc
entage
1-29 hours 30+ hoursBarcelona targetSources: Eurostat, EU SILC
A remarkable effort is visible (since French Presidency report (2008)):
• to improve access to childcare through increased offer of childcare facilities as well as increased childcare benefits
• to promote the use of paternity and parental leave (new leave entitlements, extension of coverage, encouraging men’s take up of leave, etc.)
• to promote female labour force participation and female entrepreneurship
The potential negative effects of the economic crisis need to be noted and assessed through the
gender equality perspective.
Comprehensive and integrated policies aimed at promoting a work-life balance for women and
men
Dependent elderly receiving formal (in institutions and at home) and informal care, 2007
14
27
59
0102030405060708090
100
DK MT NL SE GR AT IE FR BE LU DE CZ UK EU27 FI PT SI RO ES IT LT PL HU SK EE BG LV CY
Percen
tage
of total eld
erly
Receiving care in an institution Receiving care at home Relying only on informal (or no) care
Sources: EC, Ageing Report (2009)
Conclusions and recommendations• To different degrees, gender gaps reflecting
women’s disadvantaged position in employment, full or part time, unemployment and inactivity are still present in the labour markets of the Member States.
• The data for 2000 and 2008 on expenditure (purchasing power standards (PPS) per capita) on parental leave in EU Member States show that in 2008 the majority of Member States (23) increased expenditure on parental leave (through parental leave and income maintenance benefits).
• Women account for the majority of recipients of parental leave. The allocation of specific periods of leave only to fathers, establishing a premium for fathers’ take-up and implementing compensation via a dedicated paid leave system is suggested to be considered in national policies.
• It is important to focus on how to ensure the break up of the existing stereotypical cycle and attitudinal change. Family-related leave, taken by women or men, should not be seen to adversely affect career progression (especially by men).
Conclusions and recommendations (cont’d.)
• A percentage of children under 3 in formal care still fall short of the Barcelona target. Increasing the availability and the extension in the coverage of hours in childcare services is recommended at policy and implementation levels.
• Flexibility of childcare services refers to opening hours and to flexible use of the facility during the week or year. A low degree of synchronisation between formal childcare services and working hours brings a critical difficulty for the reconciliation of roles.
Conclusions and recommendations (cont’d.)
• Formal care for dependent older persons stay at low percentages. Care work, be it formal or informal, is carried out mainly by women. Measures to tackle the deficit of affordable and accessible formal care for older people and to break occupational segregation by gender within care sector are encouraged.
Conclusions and recommendations (cont’d.)
• Altogether, women work longer when paid and unpaid work is considered and do more unpaid work compared with men. Altering the traditional stereotype landscape where parenting and care work are considered a primary duty of women should be considered. Functioning approaches and good practices of behavioural change among men in relation to greater engagement in the unpaid family care work and parenting should be promoted and shared.
• Stronger gender mainstreaming is recommended in national and international statistical systems, in particular, by developing sex-disaggregated data necessary for policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Given the difficulties and the cost of collecting new data, a stronger cooperation among the key players in data collection is suggested.
Conclusions and recommendations (cont’d.)
ContactsContacts
EIGE - General [email protected]
www.eige.europa.eu/content/activities/beijing-platform-for-action
European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)Švitrigailos g. 11MLT- 03228 Vilnius
LithuaniaSwitchboard: +370 5 239 4140 / 4107
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