Material for reading "Awareness of Gender Stereotypes in the Labour Market"
5.1 Gender stereotypes in the labour market
Gender stereotypes exist in all spheres of life which influence people’s choices of work they do and how they can combine it with private life. A well-known stereotype is that women still remain underrepresented in the labour market: 67% of women are currently in employment, whereas men’s employment stands at 79% creating a gender employment gap of 12%. The lowest employment rates are identified among women with low levels of education, women with disabilities and young women aged 15-24.
Another stereotype is an uneven concentration of women and men in different sectors of the labour market. More women work in education, health, and social work (30 % of women compared to 8 % of men) while significantly more men are employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (7 % of women compared to 33 % of men).
A further gender stereotype of the division of care responsibilities usually turns out to be detrimental for women and their career paths. Women opt for part-time work more often, with consequences for their life-long income, including pension, and with an impact on their career possibilities. Likewise, stereotypical masculinity norms hinder men from fully participating in parenthood, and in caregiving in a wider sense.
5.2 Gender stereotyping existing in re-/qualification and employment in the digital market
In the area of education and qualification, ICT (information, communication, technology) related subjects are mostly chosen by males. Only 24 out of every 1000 females graduate in an ICT related field - of which only six go on to work in the digital sector. On the other hand, out of every 1,000 male graduates, 92 studied in ICT-related fields of which 49 end up working in digital jobs. Men graduate 5.7 times more than women in ICT studies in Europe and there is a gender gap of 11% in digital skills.
In regards to employment in the digital market, the same gender stereotypes exist: women account for 52% of the European population, yet hold only 15% of ICT-related jobs. Only 1 in 6 ICT specialists is a woman in the EU. Also, women in the information and communication sector earn 19% less than men. Women who work in the digital sector tend to leave it at a greater rate than men. This is particularly clear with people who are between 30 to 44 years old, the prime working age and the stage in someone's professional development. This age range is also the period when most Europeans have their first child and/or have to take care of their small children. When comparing working conditions of men and women in the ICT sector, women are more motivated than men to give their best job performance but feel they don’t have as much freedom to apply their own ideas as their male co-workers do. Women in the ICT sector have also experienced discrimination on the basis of their gender to a much greater extent than their male counterparts.
Increasing women's visibility, empowerment and participation in the digital sector would drive economic growth and wider social progress as well as allow for their full participation in society. EU MS recognise the need to raise the political priority of women's under-representation in the digital economy and every MS pled to introduce a cross-sectoral national plan on women in the digital sector.
Link for the self-learning
EU Countries Commit to Boost Participation of Women in Digital
5.3 The role of education, qualification and requalification in order to overcome stereotypes in the labour market
Gender related challenges in the education system are an obstacle for economic growth and better career opportunities, especially for women. One of the main challenges is that girls and boys tend to choose subjects according to traditional gender roles. On average in the EU, there are twice as many women as men studying education, health and welfare, humanities and arts. In Lithuania, men dominate study fields such as computing (87.5%) and engineering (83.1%), while women hold the majority of degrees in social services (81.6%) and health care (74.7%). The trend is similar in other EU countries.
The situation will not change unless educators encourage girls and boys to choose more atypical fields, like STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for girls, and education and welfare for boys. The classroom should be an environment that challenges gender stereotypes and breaks them down. One way to achieve this is through gender sensitive teaching materials and training educators to address these stereotypes. It is important that educators should promote STEM subjects to girls and women and encourage all students to break down gender expectations when it comes to their career choices. Adult educators should avoid gender stereotyping as well. It is important that they encourage women to choose (re)qualification according to their talents but not gender stereotypes and deepen understanding that choosing a career in ICT and STEM is an option for women and not only for men.
It has been confirmed that women with low qualifications find it especially hard to access jobs with decent pay. Only 42 % of low qualified women are employed and are more likely to take up precarious jobs with short contracts, low working hours and very low pay. Almost half of women with low qualifications (45%) work in a precarious job compared to just over a quarter of men with the same level of education (26%). Women, in general, are more likely to work in these types of jobs than men, regardless of their level of education.
The goal is to build a prosperous and fair Europe where girls and boys can freely choose their field of education and career path.
Link for the self-learning
5.4 The consequences of the traditional/ stereotypical female and male roles in the labour market and the necessity to change it
Due to the structural inequalities and persisting gender stereotypes, women with low levels of qualifications face a higher risk of detachment from the labour market, poverty and social exclusion. Half of low-qualified women aged 15-64 in the EU-28 are out of the labour market compared to 27 % of low-qualified men. Additionally, 14 % of men and 9 % of women with low levels of education are unemployed. Restricted employment opportunities may impact their decision on whether to enter the labour market, particularly if searching for a job or accepting a job brings along extra expenses, such as transport or childcare costs. Women with low educational attainment are also more likely to work in precarious jobs.
Another persistent consequence is an economic impact. The economic loss due to the gender employment gap amounts to €370 billion per year. Improving gender equality could lead to an increase in GDP of up to €3.15 trillion by 2050. Hence, taking action is both a social and an economic imperative.
Women are increasingly more qualified: more women than men graduate from universities in Europe, however, many of them don’t feel as free in their choice of jobs or do not get the same job opportunities as men. Work is the best way to empower women economically, therefore it is necessary to increase women’s labour market participation.