Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion

News 17/03/2008

Life of women and men in Europe : a statistical portrait

The second edition of "Life of women and men in Europe - a statistical portrait" has been issued by Eurostat, with the support of DG EMPL (Unit Equality between Men-Women). The publication describes the situation of women and men at different stages of their lives. It covers a great variety of topics and is therefore useful for actors involved in gender mainstreaming.

Ensuring progress in the field of gender equality requires clear information regarding the situation of women and men in our societies. It is essential that statistics are available on the gender inequalities that persist in economic life, decision-making, and social, cultural and civil life, for the purposes of informing decision-makers and increasing public awareness. The second edition of this statistical portrait of women and men in Europe has been produced to fulfil this need, by providing up-to-date statistics that have been extended to cover the Member States that recently joined the EU.

The first part offers a portrait of young people today, including demographic trends, the types of households in which the boys and girls live, and their levels of education. The second part provides an overview of the situation of women and men within the most active age-group. The figures reveal persistent gender inequalities when it comes to caring for dependants, employment and salaries, participation in areas of political and economic decision-making, as well as personal health. The last part presents figures concerning women and men of retirement age. The European population is ageing and the differences between the situations of women and men at this time of life are striking. The figures reveal gender gaps in terms of life expectancy, employment, income, personal health and social relations.

This report provides a general review of statistics on gender-related issues by way of comparisons, showing for instance the situation of each sex in terms of income and influence. Nearly all of the figures cited have been previously published, especially in Eurostat publications. They are presented and analysed here in order to highlight the contrasting positions of women and men in the various facets of their social and professional lives, as well as the often significant differences that exist within the European Union. The publication covers a great variety of topics and it is therefore useful for actors involved in gender mainstreaming.

The publication is available in English, French and German.

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