Raising the employment rate of women across the EU to the Lisbon target of 60% or above is not only important in the context of an ageing work force and the prospective decline of working-age population in EU Member States but is a major means of ensuring that women have the same opportunity to pursue a working career as men. Studies, therefore, show that at present women are severely restricted by the responsibility of caring for children, which ultimately tends to fall on them rather than on their partners, from having a full-time job.

Host Country : Germany

Place and date : Nuremberg, 17. - 18.11.2008

Peer countries : Cyprus - Denmark - Italy - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Poland

Stakeholders : Eurochild, COFACE

This is particularly the case in Germany, though it is by no means unique in this respect. Whereas both partners in a couple without children invariably have a job, women usually give up their job once they start a family, at least for a temporary period of time. Moreover, when they return to paid employment, it is often on a part-time basis. Men on the contrary tend to remain in employment and in many cases work longer hours than before. The evidence indicates, therefore, that one in three women remain economically inactive for a long period after giving birth, while 80-90% of fathers remain in full-time employment.

To address this apparent inequality, the `Berufsrückkehr von Frauen' programme has recently been launched in Germany with the aim of developing and implementing measures that make it easier for women to return to work, to make employers more aware of the potential benefits to them of women returning to work and to persuade men to do more to support their partners when they do so.

The Peer Review, therefore, provides an opportunity for Member States to learn from the experience of other countries in implementing measures for assisting women to return to work after having children.

Peer Review manager

Ms Katja Korolkova (ÖSB Consulting GmbH)