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European Women's Lobby - EWL

http://www.womenlobby.org:80/site/1abstract.asp?DocID=2159&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu

European Spring Summit: Challenging the Male-Dominant Life-Cycle Approach to Growth and Jobs

The EU Heads of States and governments met on 13-14 March to review progress towards achievements of the ambitious Lisbon Strategy on Growth and Jobs, launched in 2000 with the aim of making the EU the most competitive economy in the world. Two years before D-Year (2010), the European Women’s Lobby takes stock of the ambition to reach a 60% employment rate of 60% for women by the year 2010 and to fulfil the Barcelona targets on childcare provision. In its submission to the Spring Council, the EWL states that the Lisbon Strategy falls short of the EU objective of ensuring equality between women in men in all areas of the macro, micro and employment guidelines which accompany the Lisbon Strategy. While the rate of women’s employment is on its way to reaching the 60% target (57.3%[1][1]), the Barcelona targets on the other hand are far from being achieved. Moreover, closer inspection of the type of jobs created for women reveal that these follow the traditional gender division of paid/unpaid work and therefore the Lisbon Strategy does not challenge the male dominant model of working life based on full employment over a 40-45 year uninterrupted career which leads to full social security entitlements and pension rights and therefore, do not reflect the majority of women’s working life patterns.

Since the launch of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000, new concepts have emerged, namely, flexicurity, which Member States are invited to implement in the development of their socio-economic policies, particularly in the field of employment. This carries the risk of exacerbating women’s unequal positioning on the labour market and in relation to paid/unpaid work unless crucial issues are urgently addressed such as the gender pay gap, periods of time spent out of the formal labour-market are counted as productive time leading to full social protection -particularly State pension schemes - and care policies and services as well as provisions to reconcile professional, family and private life. Not only will such measures encourage men to take their share in unpaid work, they will also set the pace of reversing the male life-cycle approach to change the terms of reference for more qualitative social well-being and economic growth, which will undoubtedly benefit both women and men. For more information contact Mary Collins at marycollins@womenlobby.org.

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