Research

Women in the Workforce: Europe (Quick Take)

Apr 30, 2020

POPULATION

Europe’s Major Demographic Shifts Include an Aging Population, Falling Birth Rates, and Increased Migration1

In 2019, one in five people was aged 65 and older (20.0% of the European Union’s total population).2

  • At the same time that Europe’s population is aging, its fertility rate is falling (1.56 children per woman in 2018, which is below replacement level).3
  • The working-age population in the European Union (EU-28) continues to shrink while the percentage of retirees grows, placing an increased burden of social expenditure on those who are working.4
Migration Drives Population Growth in Europe5

In 2018, the 1.1 million population increase in the EU-28 was due to net migration.6

  • As of January 2018, non-EU citizens made up 4.4% of the EU-28’s overall population (22.3 million people).7

Improving access to the labor market for migrants, especially migrant women, may counteract the impact of the EU’s aging population.8

LABOR FORCE TRENDS

The Gender Employment Gap Is Gradually Shrinking9

Although women’s employment is increasing (64.1% of all women were employed in 2019, compared to 58.3% in 2009),10 there are still fewer women in the labor force, and they are concentrated in jobs that pay less.11

  • The employment rate for older workers (ages 55-64) is on the rise, contributing to the overall increase in employment across the EU.12
    • From 2002-2018, the employment rate of older women grew faster than that of older men (23.6 percentage points compared to 17.2 percentage points, respectively).13
However, A Gender Gap Persists Among Migrants in the Labor Force14

In 2019, only 54.6% of women (ages 15 and over) born outside the EU-28 participated in the labor force, compared to 73.1% of men.15

Women with Young Children Are Still Less Likely to Participate in the Labor Force Than Men16

Only 62.7% of mothers with young children (less than six years old) were employed in the EU-28 in 2019, compared to 89.1% of fathers with young children.17

  • In the same year, 20.0% of women (ages 25-64) not working had left the labor force to care for children or incapacitated adults.18

WORK-LIFE

Unpaid Work, Including Childcare and Eldercare, Falls Mostly on Women19

Between 2008 and 2015, the gap between women and men in time spent on household and family care activities ranged from 47 minutes (Norway) to 3 hours and 16 minutes (Turkey).20

In 2018, more than a quarter (27.1%) of employed workers in the EU-28 adapted their working hours to accommodate childcare responsibilities.21

  • Most of these workers (82%) were women.22
The EU Is Setting New Standards for Parental Leave and Flexible Work Arrangements23

Under EU legislation as of 2019, all member countries must provide a minimum of fourteen weeks for maternity leave, two of which are mandatory.24

A 2018 survey found that only about two in three (65%) European workers had access to flexible work arrangements at their workplace.25

  • The EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive, effective August 2019, mandates a minimum of 10 days for paternity leave for fathers and the ability to request flexible work arrangements for all caregivers and working parents.26

GOVERNMENT

A Record Number of Women Have Been Elected to the European Parliament27

In 2019 women held 41% of the seats in the European Parliament, the highest percentage in its history.28

Top Level Representation in Government Varies Widely by Country29

Percentage of Women in National Governments in Selected Countries (as of March 2020):30

Country % Women in Lower or Single House % Women in Upper Chamber
France 39.5% 33.3%
Germany 31.2% 36.2%
Netherlands 33.3% 38.7%
Sweden 47.0% N/A
Switzerland 41.5% 26.1%
United Kingdom 33.9% 27.2%

The following EU countries have implemented quotas for increasing women candidates for political office: Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia.31

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – Global.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – UK.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women’s Earnings – The Wage Gap.

European Commission, She Figures 2018 (2019).

European Institute for Gender Equality, Gender Equality Index 2019: Work-Life Balance (2019).

European Union, “Combating Pay Discrimination in Member States.”

Iliana Magra, “Finland Plans to Give All New Parents the Same Leave,” The New York Times, February 6, 2020.

NOTE: All figures, except where specified, are based on the 28 countries that made up the EU as of 2019, including the United Kingdom. While the UK is no longer a member country of the EU as of February 1, 2020, the UK was a member country in 2018-2019 and is included in many statistics capturing the entire EU in that time period.32

 

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – Europe (April 30, 2020).

  1. European Commission, Demographic Scenarios for the EU: Migration, Population and Education (2019).
  2. Eurostat, “Population: Structure Indicators,” Eurostat Database (March 30, 2020).
  3. Eurostat, “Total Fertility Rate,” Eurostat Database (2020); Eurostat, “Fertility Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  4. Eurostat, “Population Structure and Ageing,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  5. Eurostat, “Population and Population Change Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  6. Eurostat, “Population and Population Change Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  7. Eurostat, “Migration and Migrant Population Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  8. European Commission, Demographic Scenarios for the EU: Migration, Population and Education (2019): p. 43.
  9. Eurostat, “Employment Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  10. Eurostat, “Employment and Activity by Sex and Age – Annual Data,” Eurostat Database (2020).
  11. European Commission, 2019 Report on Equality Between Women and Men in the EU (2019): p. 5, 18.
  12. Eurostat, “Europe 2020 Indicators – Employment,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  13. Eurostat, “Europe 2020 Indicators – Employment,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  14. Eurostat, “Migrant Integration Statistics – Labour Market Indicators,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  15. Eurostat, “Activity Rates by Sex, Age and Country of Birth (%),” Eurostat Database (2020).
  16. Eurostat, “People Outside the Labour Market,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2020).
  17. Eurostat, “Employment Rate of Adults by Sex, Age Groups, Educational Attainment Level, Number of Children and Age of Youngest Child (%),” Eurostat Database (2020).
  18. Eurostat, “Inactive Population Not Seeking Employment by Sex, Age and Main Reason,” Eurostat Database (2020).
  19. European Commission, 2019 Report on Equality Between Women and Men in the EU (2019): p. 9.
  20. Eurostat, “How Do Women and Men Use Their Time – Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  21. Eurostat, “Reconciliation of Work and Family Life – Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  22. Eurostat, “Reconciliation of Work and Family Life – Statistics,” Eurostat: Statistics Explained (2019).
  23. European Commission, 2019 Report on Equality Between Women and Men in the EU (2019): p. 8.
  24. Ulla Jurviste, Martina Prpic, and Giulio Sabbati, “Infographic: Maternity and Paternity Leave in the EU,” European Parliament, March 2019.
  25. European Commission, Flash Eurobarometer 470 – Work-Life Balance (October 2018).
  26. “EU Work-Life Balance Directive Enters into Force,” European Commission press release, August 22, 2019.
  27. European Parliament, “2019 European Election Results,” (July 8, 2019); Daniel Boffey, “Record Number of Women Become MEPs – But Men Still Dominate,” The Guardian, June 1, 2019
  28. European Parliament, “2019 European Election Results,” (July 8, 2019); Daniel Boffey, “Record Number of Women Become MEPs – But Men Still Dominate,” The Guardian, June 1, 2019.
  29. European Commission, 2019 Report on Equality Between Women and Men in the EU (2019): p. 32.
  30. Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Percentage of Women in National Parliaments,” New Parline: The IPU’s Open Data Platform (March 2020).
  31. European Commission, 2019 Report on Equality Between Women and Men in the EU (2019): p. 32.
  32. Eurostat, “Frequently Asked Questions: Brexit.”