Structure of employment and wages of women in the European Union

Women are less active in the labor market and the main reason for this is their social role. They usually take over the responsibilities for the care and upbringing. Women also have lower wages than men – in EU 18% on average. Women's activity in the labor market and their wage discrimination is a point of European Union policy. In the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade, Europe 2020, the employment rate goal for women and men aged 20-64 by 2020 has been set at 75%. It should be achieved by getting more people into work – women among others. Prevention of discrimination against women has been included in Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015.

The main aim of our research is to evaluate the relationship between structure of employment and wages. It is assumed that in less feminized areas of the labor market, women earn more. This is connected to horizontal and vertical segregation phenomena. The point of horizontal segregation is that women tend to be found in similar occupational groups and economic sectors, whatever the country or culture concerned (men are distributed across a wider range of occupations). Such situation is the result of the stereotype that women are not suited to performing the same jobs as men because they are lack the physical strength, they are less available and they lack the required competences/skills. Vertical segregation is often named “glass ceiling”. This means that women are less frequently represented in management positions and are less likely to advance in the occupational hierarchy.

Presented analysis are based on the Eurostat data collected within the framework of Structure of Earnings Survey(SES) in years 2002 and 2006 and are provided for the EU member states. We applied descriptive statistical tools, statistical tests, and taxonomic measures.

 *The project was funded by the National Science Centre, decision number DEC-2011/01/B/HS4/06346.