1. The Lisbon Process and European Women at Work Political Economy and Social Policy of Western Europe Indiana University, Bloomington November 11, 2005 Tito Boeri Bocconi University and Fondazione Debenedetti, Milan

2. Outline Some stylized facts Lisbon and Beyond How can the Lisbon strategy be improved? Who should do what?

3. Outline The stylized facts Lisbon and Beyond How can the Lisbon strategy be improved? Who should do what?

4. The stylized facts Decline in the gender employment gap Still large gender wage gap Larger wage gaps for older cohorts

5. Decline in gender employment gap Female participation rate in European countries Male participation rate in European countries

6. Evolution of the gender wage ratio

7. Larger wage gaps for older cohorts

8. Outline The stylized facts Lisbon and Beyond How can the Lisbon strategy be improved? Who should do what?

9. Catching up with Lisbon?

10. Womenization of labour force: Risks 1.More competition: women vs men for a historically given number of jobs 2.Less time to childcare 3. Decrease of fertility rate

11. 1. More competition women vs men for a historically given number of jobs Real Risk? No, sooner or later women at work become complementary to men employment

12. 2. Less time to childcare Employment rate for women and average family day care spending per employed woman Real Risk?

13. 3. Decrease of fertility rates Women’s employment rates and fertility in Europe Real Risk?

14. Possible interpretation: Changes in social norms towards working mothers Specific social policies: Greater availability of childcare Greater opportunities fo flexible work Positive relationship between participation and fertility

15. Proportion of children using childcare.

16. Childcare availability and fertility

17. Job flexibility and fertility

18. Social customs: reported reasons for low use of formal childcare in Italy

19. Should mothers stay at home?

20. Men, rich, low-educated and housewives want mothers to stay at home

21. In order to go to Lisbon, we should…

23. Private provision? Affordable?

24. Conclusion It is mainly preferences! Preferences may change, but not that rapidly Young today do not think much differently than older people; it will take a generation for preferences to change? Research on social norms: men with working mothers are more likely to be married to working women….

25. What to do meanwhile to reduce the work/children trade-off? Extension of public childcare may be less important than -Extended m(p)aternity leave -Flexibility in hours also for part-timers -Kindergarten in firms -Childcare vouchers for poor families -and….