Labour market inequalities are a feature which all European countries share. This book provides a comparative perspective of sexual inequality in the 12 member-states of the European Union. Different aspects of inequality are discussed and presented: participation rates, occupational segregation, income differences, careers and the division of unpaid work. Another aspect that is examined is the position of women from ethnic minorities in the labour market. After presenting the facts, the book then looks at economic and sociological theories for possible explanations and integrates them into a single framework that provides starting points for a policy to promote equality between the sexes. The second part of the book explores different policy measures promoted by the EU to advance equal opportunities. After presenting the equal opportunities of the EU, particular instruments are discussed such as the impact of EU directives, child care policies, positive action and comparable worth strategies. In addition the position of women in trade unions and their influence upon European decision making in the field of social policy is looked at. The book concludes with an exploration of what the future has in store for women in Europe.
Introduction Labour-Market Participation of Women in the European Union - Janneke Plantenga Segregation in the European Union - Janneke Plantenga and Kea Tijdens Development in the 1980s Pay Differences between Men and Women in the European Labour Market - Joop Schippers The Labour-Market Position of Women from Ethnic Minorities - Anne-Wil K Harzing Comparison of Four European Countries The Careers of Men and Women - Bettina Bock and Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes A Life-Course Perspective Sharing Domestic Work - Tanja van der Lippe and Ellie Roelofs Gendered Patterns in Institutional Constraints - Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes and Jacques van Hoof An Attempt at Theoretical Integration The European Equal Opportunities Policy - Ellie Roelofs Legal Instruments at the EU Level - Tineke van Vleuten Policies for Children and Parents in Four European Countries - Liesbeth Pot Positive Action in Organizations within the European Union - Attie de Jong and Bettina Bock The Comparable Worth Strategy - Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes Women, Trade Unions and European Policy - Noor Goedhard and Jacques van Hoof Epilogue - Jacques van Hoof and Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes Emancipation at the Crossroads
`A well-written book with a good balance between factual information and theoretical analysis and an approach which is multi-disciplinary' - International Review of Women and Leadership
