«Sand the EU really wants to become more competitive, gender equality should play a crucial role». With these words Carlien Scheele, director ofEigethe European Institute for Gender Equality, sends a clear warning to the European Union: the hidden potential of women in the labor market is no longer just a question of social equitybut an urgent economic necessity.
Gender equality for a more competitive Europe
The figures speak for themselves: The gender employment gap costs the EU €370 billion a yearwith a gap that still stands at 10.8%. «The combination of work and private life is extremely important – underlines Scheele – because it shows that there is hidden potential that we are not exploiting».
A still segregated job market
The picture that emerges from the latest EIGE analysis reveals a worrying reality: women continue to be over-represented in traditionally “feminine” sectors – health, education and social services – while men dominate the most remunerative sectors such as technology, engineering and finance. «We really have to start from school – says Davide Barbieri, head of statistics at the Eige – and break the stereotypes according to which women must only be carers, educators, teacherswhile men can be engineers or statisticians.”
The burden of family care
The numbers are even more alarming when you look at family-work conciliation. QAlmost one in three women say they are unable to work due to caring responsibilitiescompared to just one in ten men. In couples with children, the gap is dramatically accentuated: only 66% of mothers work full time, compared to 92% of fathers.
Gender equality still far away in Europe. But this blocks the Union’s economy and competitiveness (Getty Images)
Binding quotas show the way
A positive signal comes from the corporate leadership front. Countries that have introduced binding quotas for the presence of women on boards of directorsAustria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal, they not only achieved but exceeded their objectives pre-established. The percentage of women on the boards of the major listed companies has reached an all-time record of 33%.
Beyond the economy: independence and security
Last but not least, the EIGE Gender Equality Index 2024 highlights a crucial aspect, which is often talked about, but just as often overlooked: paid work and economic independence significantly reduce the risk of physical violencesexual and psychological. “If you are completely dependent on your partner – explains Scheele – because you don’t have an income or you don’t have a sufficient income when you leave the relationship, you won’t be able to cope”.
The endless road to gender equality
Despite some important progress, half of EU countries have exceeded 70 points out of 100 in the Gender Equality Index, with Sweden alone above 80%, the path towards equality remains long. The 13% wage gap that persists and the global increase in anti-gender narratives that threatens the progress achieved, in fact, distance themselves from the vision of a “Union of equality”. But if «the EU really wants to increase its global competitiveness – concludes Scheele – as suggested in the Draghi report, gender equality must become the central pillar of any future development strategy».
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