Transcript Reconciling growth and gender equality

Irish Presidency
Gender Equality Conference
Dublin April, 29-30 2013
REVISITING CHALLENGES IN
THE WORK-PLACE
Francesca
Bettio
University of Siena & Fondazione G. Brodolini
In this presentation I shall

Selectively revisit current challenges to women’s
work
…based on reports carried out for the
Gender Equality Unit at the EC Justice division
and posted at:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/genderequality/tools/experts/index_en.htm

Challenges we need to revisit
Sex typing of occupations
Sex typing of occupations
 Sex-typing
has cushioned the fall of female
employment during the crisis ( employment for women
20-64 was down 0.5 millions in 2012 compared to
2008, male employment was down 4.8 millions.

In the medium-to-longer term, however, sex-typing
may lower the quality of women’s employment and put
a break on their earnings. The green jobs and care
jobs cases illustrate opposite risks.
Challenges we need to revisit
Sex typing of occupations: green jobs
Together with the ICT sector, the green and the care sectors
are expected to serve as main employment drivers in the
future, but..


the IWPR has recently estimated for the USA that the share of the
green jobs growth accruing to women between 2008/10 and 2018
ranges from 14% in the worst scenario and 28% in the best scenario.
The report states “The underrepresentation of women in green jobs is
part of a broader problem of women’s underrepresentation in science,
technological, engineering and math (STEM) occupations. Yet the ‘green’
aspect of these jobs provides a new opportunity to encourage more
women to pursue such careers and to address women’s glaring absence
from key occupations and fields of work.”
Challenges we need to revisit:
Sex typing of occupations: ‘social care’ jobs
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The Aging Report (2009) estimates an increase of 13.8 million
elderly being cared for either in institutions or at home between
2007 and 2060, assuming no change in elderly care policy.
With a 90% percent feminization rate in the sector (LFS, 2007), this
amounts to a considerable employment growth potential for women.
However, increasing resort to cash-for-care schemes is redirecting
at least part of this increase to the informal employment sector
And wages for elderly care workers and professionals are
notoriously low. Around 2009 , for example, workers with basic
qualifications in residential care earned as much as the average
worker in the economy in only 2 out of 17 Member States ( DK and
IS) . Much less elsewhere.
Challenges we need to revisit
Second earners and financial Incentives
50
Motherhood penalty in terms of employment.
Childcare costs
are a large
implicit tax on
secondary
earners, which
may add up to
higher marginal
effective tax
rates
Figure 1. Motherhood penalty and difference in income gain due to childcare costs
(married woman with 2 small children earning less than 45% of the couple’s earnings)
CZ
40
HU
SK
30
EE
UK
20
LV
FI DE AT
10
0
0
PL
EL LT
LU
BECY
PT DK
10
IE
FR
ES
20
NL
30
40
-10
Difference in income gain due to childcare costs
Correlations: Pearson 0.41 (sig. 6%), Spearman 0.43 (sig. 5%)
50
Facts on second earners: the intra-household distribution
of earnings between ‘her’ and ‘him’. 2009
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
MT NL AT LU GR ES
Woman has no earnings
IE
CZ
IS
DE
IT
Woman earns less than man
CY UK BE NO SE
Equality in earnings
SK
EE
PL
FR
FI
RO LV BG DK LT HU
Woman earns more than man
SI
Woman the only earner
Challenges we need to revisit
3. Care infrastructure
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CHILDCARE. Uneven progress in formal childcare coverage , but
progress nevertheless. Targets matter. (refer to the next presentation)
 According to past studies, some 10% of working women give up
working or reduce working hours to take care of the elderly. But the
current and future impact will be larger due to postponement of
working age.
 Some progress in eldercare coverage over the past decades. But
vast regional differences, and no target!
AUSTERITY and CARE INFRASTRUCTURE. Fiscal consolidation is
eroding care and even health services in the countries with the largest
consolidation packages.
Is Austerity making gender equality ‘affordable’ only in the
North of Europe?
Challenges we need to revisit:
Care infrastructure
Home care coverage rates (modal year 2008)
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
NL
IS
DK NO AT
SE
BE
CZ
LU
UK DE
FR
IE
HU
FI
EL
IT
ES
PT MT EE
SK
SI
PL
LV
LT
RO
Home 21.0 20.5 20.0 19.3 14.4 9.4 7.4 7.2 7.0 6.9 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.3 5.6 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.0 2.3 2.3 1.8 1.7 1.6 0.6 0.3
Dark grey bars indicate that the displayed values coincide with those reported by Huber et al. (2009) or the on-going
OECD project using Health Data 2009 [http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/61/45408422.xls]. Light grey bars indicate
alternative values derived from national sources and deemed more accurate, more recent or simply new.
Source: EGGE Report 2010: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/tools/experts/index_en.htmequality/tools/experts/index_en.htm
Challenges from a more ‘liquid’ labour market
The case of parental leaves
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In 2012 there were: nearly 14 million women on temporary work
contract in Europe , most of them young; 7.2 m. unemployed and 3.2
million self employed women of reproductive age.
Depending on the country first time job seekers or holders of non
standard contracts (e.g. stagiere or in Italy) are not entitled to
maternity benefits; Also, temporary employees or the self-employed
may be entitled to lower beneftis
In 2011 Italy, for example, 27% of mothers were not entitled to
benefits; some of these mothers were stagiere or first time job seeker.
Do we need longer leave for those already entitled or more universal
entitlements and more flexibility of use (e.g. part-time leave in all
MS?)
Challenges from a more ‘liquid’ labour market:
mobility
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Labour mobility is advocated for more efficient growth
But women are still are less mobile than men within
countries
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22% of EU27 men and only 14% of women envisage working
abroad at some points in the future
… on account of family commitments
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The two top factors discouraging women from working abroad
are ‘home is in the country’ and ‘family/friends’
(Eurobarometer 2009)
Joining family or friends is the sixth most important reason for
moving abroad among men and the third most important reason
among women .
Facing challenges. Some food for thought
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Address the women in science question
Gran the right to request flexibility. It can prove an effective, low
cost answer to the need for reconciliation
Raise productivity in the care sector and encourage men’s entry. An
integrated eldercare strategy, for example could ‘pull’ high tech and
intensive knowledge industries such as medical research, domotics,
robotics or assistive technology.
In low employment countries introduce earnings tax credits for low
wage, secondary earners and/or ensure low cost childcare
Make parental (and other) benefits accessible to non standard
employees on an equal basis
Promote mobility (examples: couples hiring, ensure portability of
benefits; transnational welfare provisions )