A seminar on “Equal opportunities in the labour market” was held in Toledo, Spain, from 11-13 December 2024, organised by AFAMMER (Confederación Nacional de Federación y Asociaciones de Familias y Mujeres del Medio Rural (National Confederation of the Federation and Associations of Families and Women in Rural Areas) in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union.
The kick-off meeting was opened by the Co-President of EZA, Piergiorgio Sciacqua, the Deputy Mayor of Toledo, Juan José Alcalde, the national President of AFAMMER, Carmen Quintanilla, the government representative in Ciudad Real, Blanca Fernández, and the Secretary-General of the FEMP (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces), Luis Martínez-Sicluna.
Teresa Freixes Sanjuán, Professor of Constitutional Law and Jean Monnet Professor ad personam, delivered a keynote speech on equality in EU law and summarised the major challenge as follows: “Inequalities in the work-life balance and lack of shared responsibility are the main factors that push women out of the labour market, and even force women out, particularly women in rural areas.”
A first panel discussion on ‘Progress and challenges in the labour market’ was held with Patrick Penninckx, Secretary-General of the European Seniors' Union, Mrs Teresa Nevado Bueno, Secretary-General of the European Women's Lobby (EWL) in Spain, Silviu Traian Ispas, President of IFES / Romania and Juana Serrano García, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UCLM and University Professor of Labour Law and Social Security. The focus of the seminar was an analysis of the main objectives of the European Employment Strategy and the European Care Strategy and the impact on the work and visions of workers' organisations.
Another panel discussion was held on the topic of ‘Leadership aspirations of women and young workers in the labour market (training, talent development, pay gap)’, with David Cervera Olivares, President of CEAT (Centro Español para Asuntos de los Trabajadores (Spanish Centre for Workers' Questions)), Vitor Vicente from Fidestra / Portugal and Sara García de las Heras, Confederal Secretary of USO for Trade Union Action and Employment. The discussion emphasised in particular the need for improvements in education, equal pay and income, the presence of women in management roles and the reconciliation of private, professional and family life (‘work-life balance’).
The round table on ‘The voice of social organisations in the construction of Europe’ with Carmen Quintanilla Barba, National President of AFAMMER, Joseph Thouvenel, Deputy Secretary of CFTC / France, Giorgio D'Antoni, Vice-President of EFAL / Italy, Giovanna G. de Calderón. The President of MDE (Women for Dialogue and Education), Remedios Martínez Villafranca, Vice President of ASEME (Association of Women Entrepreneurs) reached the following conclusion: to invest in gender equality also means to increase the participation of women in the labour market, particularly in terms of the gender pay and pension gaps. Women are still the main losers in this area. In this context, we should take a closer look at the employment of women and their leadership role in the labour market.
The round table ‘Analysis of the dynamic elements of women's employment in rural areas’, with Pilar Laguna Sánchez, University Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Belén Ferrer Calvo, Director of LHH (Leadership Development), Joaquín Pérez da Silva, Secretary General of USO (Unión Sindical Obrera (Workers’ Trade Union)) and Fernando Moura e Silva. Fidestra / Portugal emphasised that, above all, it is important to have fair working conditions, and therefore recommends addressing any specific factors that would influence inequality in the labour market, such as: temporary and precarious employment, the informal economy, wage discrimination, occupational segregation based on gender, fewer women present in decision-making processes and representative positions and equalities in the use of time.
Key conclusions
1. Major differences in legal equality versus actual equality: although legal equality has been established, structural inequalities remain that affect women in particular.
Unequal treatment is not restricted to wages, but is also manifested in difficulties in accessing higher-value jobs and the over-representation of women in low-paid sectors.
Factors such as part-time employment are decisive: 28% of women work part-time compared to 8% of men owing to the ‘burden’ of caring and housework.
2. Shared responsibility and the burden of care
Care responsibilities continue to place a disproportionate burden on women; this is why 16.5 % of women in the EU work part-time compared to 3.4 % of men.
It is vital to implement measures to promote shared responsibility and to bring about a cultural change that enables a fair distribution of household and family responsibilities.
The lack of effective measures to achieve a work-life balance is continuing to force women out of the labour market, particularly in rural areas where 84% of women give up their jobs to devote themselves to care work.
3. Real gaps: beyond the pay gap: inequality in the labour market isn’t just about wages. Although men in the EU earn on average 12.7% more than women, the gap is exacerbated by other factors:
The over-representation of women in low-wage sectors.
Reduced working hours and career breaks affect career development and access to management positions.
Precarious conditions and fixed-term contracts affect women more in rural areas.
4. Gender pension gap and age discrimination
The pay gap in the world of work is reflected in a gender pension gap: in the EU, the pensions of women over 65 are 28.3% lower than men (data for 2020).
Age discrimination primarily affects women over the age of 55 and makes it difficult for them to remain in and re-enter the labour market. These women face greater barriers to access decent and stable jobs.
5. Pay inequality is prevalent throughout Europe, but is more pronounced in rural areas: overall, women in the European Union earn on average 12.7% less per hour than men. This disparity is more acute in rural areas, where women suffer double discrimination: because they are women and because they live in rural areas. No precise figures are available to extrapolate the Spanish data to the EU as a whole, but similar trends can be observed:
Women in rural areas are more likely to work in lower-paid jobs.
Job insecurity is greater for women in rural areas, where there are more fixed-term and part-time contracts, and
the pay gap is more pronounced in the private sector than in the public sector in most EU countries.
The lack of implementation of joint ownership of farms and the negligible presence of women in leadership positions in agricultural cooperatives reflect the extent of the invisibility of women in the countryside.
The depopulation of rural areas is a silent tragedy which is exacerbated by the exodus of women. The improvement of women’s employment prospects and access to resources must be a priority to revitalise these areas and halt rural exodus.
6. The need for a common strategy and cultural change: the seminar reflects the following urgent actions:
Develop a common European strategy to combat all aspects of structural inequality: wages, employment, culture and social issues.
Promote policies that encourage joint responsibility and remove the barriers that perpetuate inequality.
Bring about a cultural change that will enable a fair division of care responsibilities and family duties between men and women.
Conclusion
The reflections and proposals emerging from this seminar will be communicated to the various European institutions with the real aim of making progress towards real and effective equality in the labour market.
The achievement of equality is not only an issue of social justice, but also the basis for building a more sustainable, inclusive and fair future for all.
Conclusion of the seminar: we must move towards a society in which equal opportunities in employment are a reality, in which the reconciliation of work, family and private life is a fact of life for families and in which we recognise the great value of women as they now comprise over 50% of the population; we must therefore develop strategies that eliminate inequality at all levels, both on the part of companies and public institutions. In this context, employee organisations play an indispensable role when we talk about entrepreneurship and leadership.