1. At a snail’s pace towards gender equality
Economic and social cohesion in the Western Balkans
15 May, 2018

2. The Gender Equality Index is adapted to the context of the EU and is based on EU policy priorities
The presentation will be based on the results of the latest edition of the Gender Equality Index, which was released last year. I will briefly review the areas where gender gaps are largest.
The Index is adapted to EU realities and aligns itself to the EU policy priorities. Since its launch in 2013 the Gender Equality Index has been recognised for its notable contribution to policy debates and increased awareness about gender equality in the EU. It informed policy developments through Council conclusions, EU Institutions’ reports, resolutions and opinions; national governmental reports, civil society opinions, statistical yearbooks and research findings.

3. Gender gaps adjusted for levels of achievement
The Gender equality Index measures gender gaps, but also takes into account the context and the different levels of achievement of Member States. On a scale from 1 to 100, a high overall score reflects both small (or absent) gender gaps and a good situation for all (e.g. high employment rate of both women and men). The country will never be high on the rank if its women and men are fairing equally badly.

4. The Gender Equality Index measures inequalities between women and men within a range of areas relevant to the EU policy framework. It shows the different outcomes of EU and national policies for the lives of women and men. The Index relies on core six domains (work, money, knowledge, time, power, health), which are complemented by two additional, equally important domains of violence and intersecting inequalities. They are a part of the framework of the Gender Equality Index in all respects, but do not have an impact on the overall score of the Index.
The 3rd edition provides a broader scope to understanding trends and progress in gender equality, by significantly developing its satellite domain on intersecting inequalities. The Index shows differences not only between women and men, but also among different groups of women and men. It gives a more nuanced picture of our society, as we look at how gender intersects with other factors such as disability, age, education, country of birth and family type/parenthood.

5. Gender Equality Index 2017 Room for improvement
The EU’s score is 66.2 out of This is just four points higher than ten years ago. We have made improvements; however, in the context of the European Union which is not lagging behind on the world stage, it may be better to describe them, objectively speaking, as slow as a snail’s pace.
The top performing country is Sweden with a score of Sweden and Denmark have been the most gender-equal societies throughout the 10-year period and both Member States have improved their scores. They are followed by Finland and the Netherlands.
The biggest improvement in gender equality is needed is Greece, which holds the last position with a score of Hungary and Slovakia are also near the bottom of the scoreboard.

6. INDEX 66.2 TIME KNOWLEDGE 63.4 MONEY 79.6 65.7 WORK 71.5 POWER 48.5
The domains which have the lowest scores are: power, knowledge and time. The rest of the presentation will focus on those three areas.
HEALTH
87.4

7. Scores of the domain of power
The biggest boost for gender equality over the last ten years has been in the area of decision-making, especially in the private sector. Sweden, France and Finland are the most gender-equal in the domain of power and Hungary, Greece and Czech Republic need the most improvement in this area.
The countries that improved the most since 2005 are: Italy, France and Slovenia (the first two improved after 2012). Overall, the share of women in decision-making positions has increased in 23 Member States since 2005.

8. Women in national parliaments

9. Women on company boards

10. Main findings
Political pressure and legislative actions improved gender balance in political and economic decision-making.
Progress in gender equality is most pronounced on corporate boards.
The progress of gender equality in financial decision-making is barely moving.
Public debate and policy initiatives on gender equality in decision-making should be extended to other social domains, such as research, media, sports, etc.
The findings show that political pressure or legislative actions to increase gender balance in decision-making accelerates progress, which is the most evident on private company boards.
However, the situation is far from ideal. For example, the progress in financial decision-making is barely moving. Men dominate national central banks and finance ministries. The share of women on the boards of national central banks has increased only fractionally from 16 % in 2005 to 19 % in Women’s membership on the board of the European Central bank has remained consistently below 10 %. In the International Monetary Fund, there is a Board of Governors, and among the governors representing EU Member States, there are only men.
The underrepresentation of women in decision-making is a reality in all areas of public life. Whereas the topic of gender balance in the political and economic sectors is regularly present on the policy agenda, the overrepresentation of men in decision-making in other areas, such as sports, media or research, requires more visibility and action, not least because of the symbolic and educational importance of these fields and their powerful role in shaping public opinion and perceptions.

11. Scores of the domain of knowledge
The small rise in the score of knowledge , up 2.6 points to 63.4 is mostly because of increased levels of education and participation in education by both women and men.
Denmark, Sweden and the UK have the best results in the domain of knowledge and Latvia, Croatia and Romania have the lowest scores.
Young men are losing out on educational attainment and since 2005 the situation has been getting worse for men (9 pp to the detriment of men).

12. The most segregated occupations, %
Men
EU range
Women
Science and engineering professionals 75
56 -80
ICT professionals 84
68-92
Science and engineering associate professionals
71-91
ICT technicians 82
65-91
Building and related trades workers 97
94-100
Metal, machinery and related trades workers 96
93-100
Electrical and electronic trades workers
89-100
Stationary plant and machine operators 67
37-82
Health professionals 70
45-89
Teaching professionals 69
62-85
Health associate professionals 80
52-94
Personal care workers 90
81-98
Despite progress in educational attainment overall, gender divide in study fields persists. Women represent around three quarters of tertiary students in the fields of education, health and welfare, but men dominate the science, technology and engineering fields.
While there is a greater need to keep up with the changing labour market and increasing job requirements, lifelong learning in the EU has not increased since It is also very low for women and men with low qualifications and women and men who work in precarious jobs. This is a shame as they would benefit most from the opportunity to gain new skills or improve their current ones.

13. Main findings
Despite improving educational attainment, gender segregation persists.
STEM is the fastest growing sector, but the number of women STEM graduates is declining over the last decade.
Less than 1 % of 15 years old girls have an interest in ICT career.
Men’s interest in studying education, health and welfare is decreasing.
Due to unequal share of caring, women will have less time to invest in training and life-long learning.
Despite progress in gender equality, entrenched gender segregation in education, training and the labour market remains a reality for women and men in Europe today. It is mostly influenced by stereotypes, working conditions, social norms and cultural practices, which deter women and men from choosing and remaining in professions traditionally dominated by the other gender.
EIGE’s study on the economic benefits of gender equality (EIGE, 2017b) shows that reducing gender segregation in STEM education alone could lead to an additional 1.2 million jobs in the EU. In parallel, the higher engagement of women in STEM might eventually lead to smaller gender pay gap.
While there is a greater need to keep up with the changing labour market and increasing job requirements, lifelong learning in the EU has not increased since Participation in education and training is often low for those who could benefit from it most; for instance, women with low levels of qualifications participate in education and training less often than women with high educational attainment (15 % and 21 % respectively). Furthermore, education and training is less available to women and men who work in precarious jobs, which further limits their career prospects. The current unequal sharing of caring responsibilities coupled with the need to keep up with rapid technological advances poses a risk of many women’s careers falling behind those of men.

14. Scores of the domain of time
With 65.7 points, the domain of time is the only one which has gone backwards. In nearly half of the Member States (12) gender gaps in time use worsened. This shows that gender inequalities in time use for caring and social activities are persistent and growing.
The most equal division of caring responsibilities and social activities between women and men is in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark; the most unequal time sharing between women and men is observed in Slovakia, Greece and Bulgaria.

15. Daily care depends on gender and family composition
The burden of unpaid care work is especially heavy for women with children and single mothers, which in turn has a detrimental effect on women’s employment opportunities.
Among couples with children gender gap is 18 pp to the detriment of women
Among lone parents gender gap is 38 pp 8% 4%
16%
10%
85%
67%
76%
38%
Living alone
Couple without children
Couple with children
Lone parents

16. Unpaid care is higher among non-EU born women
Among people born outside the EU the gender gap in unpaid care work is 18 pp to the disadvantage of women
37%
24%
38%
29%
46%
28%
National born
Born in the EU
Born outside of the EU

17. Main findings
Unequal sharing of time for caring duties proves to be the most resistant to change.
Only every third man engages daily in cooking and housework.
Unpaid care burden is especially high among women with children, lone mothers and non-EU born women.
The unequal division of unpaid work limits women’s possibilities to participate in lifelong learning, social and personal activities.
Only every third man in the EU engages daily in cooking and housework, compared to nearly eight in ten women.
Only every third working men spends one hour or more on caring and educating children or grandchildren, older people and people with disabilities (two thirds of men do not spend even an hour!!!). The burden of unpaid care work is especially heavy for single mothers and women with migrant background.
The unequal division of unpaid work between women and men limits women’s possibilities to participate in lifelong learning, develop skills and qualifications needed to enter the labour market or new occupations. It also makes it harder for them to participate in social, personal, leisure and civic activities. The Index shows that men have more time for sporting, cultural or leisure activities outside the home.