Employment gender gap in the EU is narrowing

Overall, the employment gender gap is decreasing in the EU-27; compared with 2000, the 2007 gender gap was markedly narrower in the age class 25-54. It is most likely that the general economic conditions and a variety of measures stimulating female employment (such as better childcare facilities and more possibilities for flexible working time arrangements) contributed to this result. At EU-27 level, self-employment is twice as frequent among men. Southern European Member States generally display high rates of self-employment for both men and women. Fixed-term employment in the EU-27 is roughly equal for both women and men. In Spain, specific labour market provisions have led to rates that are more than double the EU average. This 'Statistics in Focus' examines the situation on the labour market by focussing on the gender gap for persons aged between 15 and 64, comparing the situation in 2007 with that in 2000. It draws on key results of the European Labour Force Survey.