This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date study of the contribution of women and men to changing European economic activity patterns covering all fifteen member states. Based on the work of the European Commission's network of experts on women's employment, it draws on both national and European data sources. The book links trends in the structures of employment with new comparative data on the role of systems of welfare provision in order to explore economic activity patterns by gender. Participation patterns of women still vary widely within Europe, and so much attention is paid to the institutions - both in the labour market and welfare - which help to explain these variations. The apparently contradictory tendency for women's employment and unemployment to rise is analysed, taking into account changes in industrial/occupational structure and trends at European, national and regional levels. Many countries continue to pursue inconsistent and discriminatory labour market policies; many still base welfare policies on the nation of a single male breadwinner family.
Such policies do affect women as workers, by influencing - for example - the share of women in atypical, informal employment and in inactivity. Nevertherless, women's employment has been increasing in all member states. The authors strong argument is that policymakers need to recognise the role of changes in gender relations, within the labour market and within the household economy, in the evolution of the European employment system. Women and European Employment is written specifically for policy makers and researchers in labour economics and gender studies.