Employment(2015)

Discontinuous employment, together with gender segregation of the labour market, contributes to women’s lower earnings and the persistence of a gender pay gap, with implications into old age. Social policies, including paid parental leave for men and women, provision of accessible, high quality childcare and work-life balance measures, can have a positive influence on women’s labour market participation and experience of work.

women

menEurope 2020 target

EU-28 average

SE DE DK EE LT FI UK NL LV AT FR CZ FRPT LU SI CY BG BE IE HU PL SK RO ES HR MT IT EL40

50

60

70

80

90 % of population aged 20-64 years% of population aged 20-64 years

Decision-makingWomen in parliaments (2017)

Currently, only approximately one in five members of lower or single houses of parliament worldwide is a woman.

Globally, women’s participation in parliaments rose to 23.3  % in 2016, representing an increase by 6 %  points over a decade. In 2016, the number of women presiding over houses of national parliaments jumped from 43 to 53 (out of the 278 posts worldwide).

0 min 10 20 30 40 50% of women in national parliament

max 64no data

Rwanda has the world’shighest share of femaleparliamentarians:nearly two thirds.

Bolivia is the only countryother than Rwanda to have more

than 50 % female parliamentarians.

Political leadershipPresidents and prime ministers in the EU

Women’s participation in political leadership in the EU was above the world average in 2015.

At the end of 2016, 7 out of 42 presidents and prime ministers in the EU-28 were women, compared to 4 out of 42 in today’s EU-28 at the end of 2006.

Heads of State and Government

Women worldwide are still under-represented in leadership positions. Female Heads of State or Government remain a minority, although the number has increased (from 12 to 22) over the past 20 years.

Similarly, only 18 per cent of appointed ministers are women, and are usually assigned to portfolios related to social issues.

Heads ofGovernment

(2015)

Heads ofState(2015)

14.3 % in the EU 7.3 % worldwide

6.6 % worldwide10.7 % in the EU

Pay gapDifference between average gross hourly earnings

The gender pay gap represents the difference between average gross hourly earnings of male paid employees and of female paid employees as a percentage of average gross hourly earnings of male paid employees.

17 %

GENDER PAY GAPIN THE EU

For every € 100 men earn, women earn €83.

201510min 4.5 %difference between average gross hourly earnings

max 28.1no data

Estonia

UnitedKingdom

Germany

Poland

Lithuania

Croatia

Malta

Business leadershipMembership in leading bodies

The European Commission analysed 613 of the EU’s largest public companies whose shares are listed on the stock exchange. Within these companies, women represent 5 % of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), 7 % of presidents and 23 % of board members.

Life expectancyat birth

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a new-born infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality were to stay the same throughout its life. While female life expectancy in the EU increased by 11 years from 1960 to 2014, that in South Asia rose by 28 years over the same period, despite still being relatively low at under 70 years.

Infant mortality(2015)

The infant mortality rate describes the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age per 1 000 female live births. Female infant mortality rates have declined across the world since 1990, but on a much different scale outside the EU.

Boardmembers

Boardchairs

CEO

% of women

5 % 7 %23 %

20

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40

60

80

100 yearsyears

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Sub-

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Latin

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Euro

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1960

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ROBGLVSK

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HRESUKFRLTBENLDEPTITIE

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LU0infants per 1 000 female live births

10 20 30

Romania’s femaleinfant mortality rate dropped by 68 % points.

1990 2015

9

46

19

86

4042South Africa

China

India

Russia

Brazil

EU-28

3

13

7

38

9

29

India’s femaleinfant mortality rate

dropped by 56 % points.

2015 1990

Female empowerment is a cornerstone of EU gender policy. Progress towards gender equity within the Member States involves all aspects of society. A variety of political, economic, social and cultural elements that can empower women are at stake.

Data on education and reproductive health points to the basis of female empowerment, that is, the development of women’s intellectual capacities and physical potential to participate in society. Data on women in the labour market highlights women’s potential to play a full part in working life and the importance of social policies in enabling them to do so. Information on women’s economic and financial power describes aspects of female empowerment through financial inclusion, such as equal access to and control over financial and economic resources. Lastly, data on women in leadership and conflict reflects on the emergence of female leaders in politics and business and informs about the involvement of women in political violence and conflict resolution.

EMPOWERING WOMEN IN THE EU AND BEYOND

37 %

FEMALE MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

4/17FEMALEPRESIDENTS

3/25FEMALE

PRIME MINISTERS

6 of 20

COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST SHARE OF WOMEN IN THE NATIONAL PARLIAMENTare EU Member States

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All information as of March 2017. © European Union & GlobalStat, 2017.