The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has published a comparative study of working conditions for women in the European Union (EU) countries: Working conditions and gender in an enlarged Europe.

The study shows that the difference in working hours between women and men is much smaller in eight of the new EU Member States from central and eastern Europe than in the former EU 15 countries (EU15). The findings also suggest, however, that women’s pay increases are not developing at the same rate as men’s despite the fact that women remain as highly educated as men.

The transition to market economies in the former communist countries has brought major expansion of employment in the services sector, for both men and women, with a subsequent decline in employment levels in industry. During the past decade, the overall employment levels in services in the eight new Member States concerned has almost reached the levels of the former EU15, some two-thirds of the total labour force, with the exception of Poland. While the changes have varied in proportions of men and women working in the expanding services sector, the largest increases for both men and women was noted in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Lithuania, with smaller changes in Hungary and Slovenia.

The report also provides information and analysis on the development and trends of the gender pay gap over time. Large differences in pay remain between men and women in all eight countries studied despite an initial decline during the start of the transition to market economies. Few countries have in fact improved on their position on women’s pay since the 1990s.

The report suggests, however, that the pay gap between men and women in eastern Europe is smaller at both ends of the income hierarchy. The research found that women in the eastern European countries less likely to be in the lower end of the income distribution scale than than women in the former EU15.

The report provides an insight into gender and organizational structures. The research shows that patterns of occupational segregation in the eastern European countries are quite similar to those in the EU15: women are under-represented in high level managerial positions, and heavily represented in clerical, service and professional work. More importantly, however, is that women’s position at the top of the occupational hierarchy is not deteriorating.

The publication is available in English in PDF format.