Gender inequality continues to blight Europe’s labour markets

According to Eurofound, ‘Addressing the working time and work-life balance needs of managers, increases the attractiveness of management roles…Poorer working time quality as a result of longer working hours could be a deterrent to taking on managerial responsibility, especially for women’.

Martin Jefflén, President Eurocadres, the trade union organisation representing professionals and managers, while welcoming the new study says: ‘Sadly, the findings of this report are not news to us here at Eurocadres. It is well known that women in general struggle with finding a decent work/life balance, due to their perceived greater responsibility for household chores and childcare duties’.

The Eurofound study also points to the fact that female managers suffer from lower levels of well-being than men, in the same job. Which reflects positions expressed at the recent Eurocadres seminar on psychosocial health risks facing managers and professional on the front-line. This new study states that ‘women are more likely to occupy precarious leadership positions that have a higher risk of failure’, which can only further undermine women managers well-being, as they are perched on the ‘glass cliff’.

‘women are more likely to occupy precarious leadership positions that have a higher risk of failure’

The Eurocadres President believes, ‘this report confirms that there needs to be a profound change in the organisational culture of European undertakings. We need to see more women on boards and in positions of power in companies and organisations, as it is clear that this makes economic sense, and it also tackles unacceptable inequalities.’

We need to see more women on boards and in positions of power in companies and organisations

‘Virtually ignoring the specific experience of half the world’s population, at board level makes no sense what-so-ever’, concludes Jefflén. ‘As this report points out, improved work-life balance for managers not only increases chances of women advancing to managerial positions, but also is for the good of all managers. ‘

The Eurofound report can be downloaded here