Unpaid care is often taken for granted. It's simply done without question as a labour of love. But EIGE’s new time use survey focused on care, leisure and volunteering activities reveals unpaid care is in a pressure cooker situation right now which demands introspection and long-term solutions. Data collected from all EU Member States found that 42% of women and 38% of men are involved in unpaid caregiving activities, such as caring for children, older family members, or people with disabilities.
Increasing digitalisation has led to a proliferation of so-called "platform work" whereby workers use online platforms (e.g. Uber, Wolt, Bolt) to access clients to deliver specific tasks or services. Such platforms can be seen to offer flexibility regarding when, how much and where one works. And this can contribute to gender equality through enabling a better work-life balance. For example, allowing people with childcare responsibilities, who are predominantly women, to fit work in around school hours, potentially increasing their participation in the labour market.
Increasing digitalisation has led to a proliferation of so-called "platform work" whereby workers use online platforms (e.g. Uber, Wolt, Bolt) to access clients to deliver specific tasks or services. This note explores some of the characteristics of platform work for those with childcare responsibilities. Furthermore, it investigates gender differences for those carers who live with children in a couple or as lone parents.
Platform work together with other new forms of employment are gaining ground in the European labour market. Although the share of women platform workers has been rising in recent years, they remain under-represented in platform work. Women are more likely to engage in platform work to gain an additional income and to have flexibility with the specific aim of combining work with family commitments.
The platform work economy comes with great strengths. The ability to work where you want and how you want is a significant motivator for people who have grown tired of the 9-5 rigidity and seek more diversity in their career path.
The Gender Equality Index 2023 gives an overview of the state of gender equality in the EU. The EU and the Member States will be given a score from 1...
For the first time ever, EIGE’s Gender Equality Index shows signs of a worsening situation for women in many areas of work and home life. By addressing these rising inequalities today, we can build a stronger economy that benefits everyone, regardless of gender.
The freshly launched Gender Equality Index 2022 reveals that progress continues at a snails' pace, with a mere 0.6-point increase since last year's edition. The scores present strong warning signs amid continued uncertainty and turmoil.
Working women earn on average 13% less than men for doing the same job. Lower wages in turn lead to less social protection, fewer pension entitlements and other social benefits. And women continue to pay the price for this well into retirement, with pensions 37% lower than men’s.
Promoting gender equality is a key principle of the EU in all its activities. European research still shows a pronounced under-representation of women, particularly in the hard sciences and in leadership positions. Gender equality in research is essential not only for fairness and inclusiveness, but because it could help address current and future deficits in skilled labour within the EU and support the transition to a fair, green and digital society.
The Gender Equality Index is a tool to measure the progress of gender equality in the EU, developed by EIGE. It gives more visibility to areas that need improvement and ultimately supports policy makers to design more effective gender equality measures. The Gender Equality Index has tracked the painfully slow progress of gender equality in the EU since 2010, mostly due to advances in decision-making.
