Knowledge Center

Population

• Total population of the European Union (EU-27) in January 2011 was 502,122,750.1
• In 2010, women made up 51.2% of the population, compared with 48.8% men.2
• The median age of the EU was 40.6 years in 2009.3

Household

Fertility Rate

• The fertility rate was 1.56 live births per woman in 2008 for the EU.5
• The fertility rate gap between countries with the highest and lowest rates has been converging, narrowing to 0.83 in 2008.6

Education

• In 2010, 81.8% of women aged 20 to 24 completed at least upper secondary education compared with 76.2% of men.7
• In 2009, enrollment in tertiary schools was 19,470,400 people.8
  • 55.5% of those students were women.9

Government

• Of the 27 cabinet members that make up the current European Commission, nine are women, or 33.3%.10
• Of the 736 Parliament seats, nearly one-third are women.11
• In 2011,
  • Seven of the 36 members of the European Communities Court of Justice are women, or 19.4%;12
  • Six of the 26 members of the General Court are women, or 23.1%13
  • Three of the eight members of the Civil Service Tribunal are women, or 37.5%.14

Labour Force

• In the fourth quarter of 2010, the total labour force participation rate for persons aged 15 to 64 was 64.2%.15
  • 58.2% of women were employed.16
  • 70.2% of men were employed.17
• The average of maternal employment rate was 66.2% in 2009.18
• The "unadjusted gender pay gap," or, the difference between hourly male earnings and hourly female earnings, was 16.4 % in 2010 (provisional value).19

NOTE: All figures, except where specified, are based on the 27 countries that make up the EU as of 2012.

How to cite this product: Catalyst. Catalyst Quick Take: Women in Europe. New York: Catalyst, 2012.

• 1. Eurostat, "Total population" (2011).
• 2. Eurostat, "Women Per 100 men" (2010).
• 3. Eurostat, The Eurostat Pocketbook Key Figures on Europe – 2011 Edition (2011).
• 4. Eurostat, Household Structure in the EU—2010 Edition.
• 5. Eurostat, The Eurostat Pocketbook Key Figures on Europe – 2011 Edition (2011).
• 6. Eurostat, The Eurostat Pocketbook Key Figures on Europe – 2011 Edition (2011).
• 7. Eurostat,"Persons of the Age 20 to 24 Having Completed at Least Upper Secondary Education by Gender."
• 8. Eurostat, "Students: Tertiary Education" (June 2008).
• 9. Eurostat, "Share of Women Among Tertiary Students" (June 2008).
• 10. European Commission, "The Members of the Barroso Commission: 2010-2014" (2010).
• 11. The Court of Justice of the European Communities, "The Civil Service Tribunal: Presentation of the Members."
• 12. The Court of Justice of the European Communities, "Court of Justice: Presentation of the Members."
• 13. The Court of Justice of the European Communities, "General Court: Presentation of the Members."
• 14. The Court of Justice of the European Communities, "The Civil Service Tribunal: Presentation of the Members."
• 15. Eurostat, "Employment Rate by Gender, Age Group 15-64" (2010).
• 16. Eurostat, "Employment Rate by Gender, Age Group 15-64: Females" (2010).
• 17. Eurostat, "Employment Rate by Gender, Age Group 15-64: Males" (2010).
• 18. OECD, "Chart LMF1.2.A: Maternal Employment Rates Compared to Female Employment Rates, 2009," (2012).
• 19. Eurostat, "Gender Pay Gap in Unadjusted Form" (2011).