Background
• Over thirty years of equality legislation in the European Union combination of hard and soft approaches to promote
gender equality
• Gender Equality widely accepted as socially important goal but also viewed as… not necessarily in line with economic goals
a constraint or a cost
a societal choice or preference
• Need to recognise the costs of non-equality and the positive economic contribution of gender equality
An Economic Case
• Gender Equality can be viewed as an investment a productive factor that can be leveraged
exploit full productive potential of the labour force
• An ‘Economic Case’ develops the ‘Business Case’ encompassing all organisations
economic merits at a national or regional level
• Sharing the investment in, and the benefits of, Gender Equality
• An economic case as a complement rather than replacement to the moral case
Gender Equality and Growth
• Women make the difference when we focus on employment rates
• Productive use of women’s investment in education and human capital Utilisation of all human capital investments
Access to full range of skills - address shortages
Returns on personal investment in human capital
• Gender equality as contributor to GDP closing gap with competitor nations and regions
higher productivity through avoidance of skill loss
Gender Equality for Sustainable Populations and States
• Sustainable regions• sustainable populations through the positive
relationship between female employment and fertility
• address rising dependency ratios and ageing populations
• Integration of informal work• recognising the value of unpaid and informal work• positive contribution of tax and social
contributions• modern fiscal systems that avoid perverse
thresholds for job creation and/or household disincentives
• Integration into employment more than covers investment in social infrastructure
Economic Case: a summary
Participation
Growth Fertility Fiscal
Macro Employment rates,
Utilisation of investment in education system
Investing in a productive labour force
Reduced poverty/social exclusion
Sustainable populations
Funding and sustainability
Meso
Utilisation of Human resources
Access to full range of skills
skill diversity
avoid skill loss
Work life balance policies supporting retention
Avoidance of perverse tax thresholds
Micro Return on personal investment in human capital
domestic division of labour
Reduce social risks and personal costs of inequality
Individual rights, individual employment preferences
Taxation without perverse disincentives
Receive benefits on work done
Rights for non-standard workers
Looking Forward with the Economic Case
• Gender equality can be viewed as … an investment and not a cost
a productive factor not a constraint
• Investment in social infrastructure to reap rewards of investment in human capital
akin to investment in physical infrastructure
• These benefits of equality expand when we move beyond GDP as a measure of progress quality of life, well being, child poverty, etc.
• Gender equality central to economic development and sustainability
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One step forward, one step back?
Factors Leveraging Equality Benefits
Macropolicies to expand access to employmentgender-based Targets gender mainstreaming obligationsMesoorganisational innovations (WLB, retention)progress in organisation hierarchiesMicroImproved education attainmentmore continuous participationshorter and fewer career breaks
Factors Limiting Equality Benefits
Macrolack of gender mainstreaming economic policy short-term crisis responses public sector cutsMesosegregation occupationswomen’s concentration in low-paid workMicrounequal division of care and unpaid work limited support for carers
A time to underline the economic case
• Progress under threat… Exit Strategies from the recession risk a reduced focus
on gender equality goals and thus economic benefits
Risk of trying to turn back the clock on gender equality
Long-term challenges remain for European societies
• Making the case Importance of gender mainstreaming policies
Promoting coherent social and economic policy
Drawing on the potential contribution from the whole population
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