DATA, DIPLOMACY &

THE NEW OECD GENDER INITIATIVE

P R E S E N T E D B Y

KAREN KORNBLUH

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE OECD

Women’s Economic Opportunity

“Shouldn’t our daughters have the same opportunities as our sons?”Barack Obama

Lilly Ledbetter Law the first President Obama signed into law

Health Care Reform helps women and families

Report on the Status of Women in America – the first in decades

At the OECD…the US asked for a Gender Initiative. The 34 member countries just approved it.

American Workplace

Then …and Now

Worked 40 hours a week, 40 years for one employer; strong unions

“Family wage” & benefits supported by full employment & social insurance policies

High school or college education sufficient ticket to middle-class life

1/4th of workers have non-standard jobs; change jobs every 5 yrs; lack unions

Americans compete with each other & workers around the world for wages and benefits

Unique skills or assets required

“Big Employer – Company Man” “Global Free Agent”

Family Income

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

1947 1952 1957 1962 1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007

Re

al m

ed

ian

fa

mil

y i

nc

om

e (

20

09

do

lla

rs)

Median income growth slows substantially since early 1970sReal median family income, 1947-2009

Source: EPI analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, Historical Income Tables.Note: Shaded areas denote recessions.

2009: $60,088

Family

Then …and Now

70% of families with children had a parent home full time

Moms cared for kids, sick & elderly family members

Divorce was rare

70% of families with children headed by two working parents or a single parent who works

Families rely on relatives, the market or juggling for care

50% of marriages end in divorce; 1/3 of kids living in single-parent families

“Breadwinner-Homemaker” “Juggler Families”

Women’s Employment/ Population Ratio

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

%

OECD average = 58%

Labor Force Participation of Women

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

%

USA OECD

Women’s Employment/Population Ratio (1970-2008)Age 15-64

Both Parents Working

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Both parents full-time One parent full-time

One parent full-time, one parent part-time Neither parent in employment

Other

Employment patterns among couple families with children aged 0-14, 2007

Contribution of Wives’ Earnings to Family Income

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Quintile

Actual

Without Wives'Earnings

Percent Change in Inflation Adjusted Income, by Quintile, 1979-2000

Source: Bernstein, J. and Kornbluh, K. (2004) Running Harder to Stay in Place: The Growth in Family Work Hours and Income

Children in Sole Parent Families

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

OECD average =16%

Proportion of children aged 0-14 living in sole-parent families, most recent year

Reforms Haven’t Caught Up

Flexible Hours

Leave

Childcare

Social Insurance

Employment Rules

Family & Community Responsibility Sharing

Childcare Cost

Childcare cost in % of family net income

4 5 4 56

86 6

8 7 8 8 810 9

12 1113

15 14 15

1922

2830

33

29

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Maternity Leave

0

10

20

30

40

50

weeksFTE Paid Leave Unpaid leave

Part Time Employment

Pay Gap

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

% OECD average= 17.6%

Gender gap in median earnings of full-time employees, 2006 or latest year available

Poverty Gap

50

75

100

125

150

175

0-17 18-25 26-40 41-50 51-65 66-75 above 75

OECD men OECD women USA men USA women

Risk of relative poverty of men and women by age, OECD average, mid-2000s

Poverty rate of the entire population = 100

Retirement Gap

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1960 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Men

Years before compulsory education

Years of schooling

Years before entry in the labour market

Years not in work

Years in employment

Years in retirement

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1960 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Women

Years in retirement

Years in employment

Years not in work

Years of schooling

Years before compulsory education

Years before entry in the labour market

Years spent in different activities by men and women in a typical OECD country

Caretaking Time Gap

Women

Men

0

5

10

15

20

25

No Child 1 child 2 children or more

0

5

10

15

20

25

No Child 1 child 2 children or more

Percentage of time dedicated to care work, by number of children under school age1

Leisure Time Gap

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Gender differences in leisure time, minutes per day

(positive figures show a male advantage)

Women in the Boardroom

OECD Average – 11.7%

United States – 15.2%

Switzerland – 9.2%

OECD Work on Family

Babies and Bosses (2008) and Doing Better for Children (2009)

Reconciliation of Work and Family Life in OECD Countries (2006)

Can Parents Afford to Work? Childcare costs, tax-benefit policies and work incentives (2006)

The Impact of Parental Leave on Maternal Return to Work after Childbirth in the United States (2003)

Gender Brief

OECD Gender Initiative

Last gender declaration 1980.

Political and financial leadership from the United States

Focus: Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship

Deliverables: Knowledge network with World Bank, UN, IFC will produce

indicators and benchmarking data

Tool kit of effective policies

Political Statement

Gender Initiative Deliverables

OECD Social Policy Ministerial

“Doing Better for Families”

50th Anniversary OECD Ministerial:

List of the key drivers of inequality in the fields of education, employment and entrepreneurship.

Snapshot/cross-national benchmark of OECD member states, EE and MENA partner nations, and select countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

List of best practices countries are using to narrow the gaps.

Project conclusion in mid-2012:

OECD and partners WB, IFC and UN comprehensive list of indicators, including never before produced indicators on entrepreneurship.

Menu of policy options/toolkit for policy makers to address inequalities that still exist.

Freely accessible data portal for indicators.