Does equality pay?
Can gender equality and WLB
promote economic development
and reduce effects of crisis?
Liss Schanke
Norwegian Association
of Local and Regional Authorities
Background: Norwegian Association of
Local and Regional Authorities (KS)
• Represents the interests of all Norwegian local authorities
• Participates in international projects –EEA and Norway Grants
projects in 12 EU countries on a broad range of issues
• Projects on gender equality in 4 countries, Spain, Portugal,
Slovenia, Czech Republic – e.g. pol. participation and WLB
• “Work life balance” – facilitate balance for men and women
between family life and working life, e.g. flexible working
hours, parental leave and services for children and elderly.
(Flexible working hours, not flexible contracts)
• WLB is not new, earlier it has been seen as challenge of
each individual woman to combine her job and family –
now it seen as a structural challenge for society.
1. Can gender equality and WLB promote
economic development?
• “Gender equality and work
life balance is a luxury that
only rich countries can
afford, not relevant for
countries in financial crisis.”
• The contrary is true: gender
equality and work life
balance represents
substantial economic
advantages to individual
and national economy,very
relevant in financial crisis.
Higher birth rates
• Work life balance makes it
easier for young couples to
dare to start a family – and
easier to combine work and
children. WLB thus leads to
an increased birth rate
• Birth rate is a key factor for
future economic stability
and growth.
• The sustainable birth rate is
2.1. The rates in Europe
vary between 1.3 and 2.2.
• Very relevant for Greece:
the birth rate is approx. 1.4.
Higher employment rates
• Work life balance requires
new services to provide
care for children and elderly
people – creates new jobs.
• Lower unemployment rates:
very relevant for Greece:
Unemployment in Greece
26% in sept. 2012 – higher
for women than men.
Youth unemployment 57.6%
• Higher employment rates:
for men/women(S 53/67,N
74/78)
More taxes –
and better public services
• 2 salaries families
generally earn more, and
pay more taxes
• Taxes are the basis for all
public services: transport,
schools, child care,
hospitals, care for elderly
and disabled
• Taxes are the basis for
employment in the public
sector
• The basis for the
«democratic contract»…
•
Increased purchasing power
and consumption
• Work life balance enables
both men and women to
work outside the home
• Generally implies increased
family income and
increased purchasing
power.
• Purchasing power is the
basis for the whole private
sector: shops, factories,
restaurants, services
• Purchasing power is the
basis for all jobs in the
private sector
Better quality and higher
productivity?
• Conservative minister,
launched the 2003 law on 40%
quota in reg.private company
boards.
• «Success of private companies
is linked to the
quality/diversity of the board,
e.g.to assess the market»
• 2003: 6% women, 2009 40%
• Very possible to find qualified
women, 60% of EU university
students are women.
Economic crisis as opportunity:
Spanish EEA WLB project 2008-2011
Develop low cost WLB Best Practices based on local analysis and
priorities in Spanish communities
• Local government WLB planning for staff and inhabitant
- Flexibility with regard to working hours in private business
and local governments
- Day care programs, play groups, open space etc. for children
- Support for elderly living at home and their families
- Time banks – exchange of voluntary services
Such initiatives has a double effect – improve WLB, but also
Increases voluntarism, social networks and “social capital”
IDS report 2012:
Equality and Growth: Win-Win?
• “To what extent does gender equality contribute to economic
growth? And to what extent does the reverse hold true?
• A review of literature suggests that the relationship between
gender equality and economic growth is asymmetrical.
• The evidence that gender equality, particularly in education
and employment, contributes to economic growth is far more
consistent and robust than the relationship that economic
growth contributes to gender equality in terms of health,
wellbeing and rights.
• From a growth perspective, therefore, the promotion of
certain dimensions of gender equality may appear to offer a
win-win solution”
OECD report 2012:
Closing the Gender Gap
• The OECD report focuses on
gender equality in
education, employment,
entrepreneurship
• Summary: «Gender gaps are
pervasive in all walks of
economic life and imply
large losses in terms of
foregone productivity and
living standards to
individuals and the
economy.»
2.Does equality within a country generally
pay?
- Spirit level: a tool to check
whether something is flat,
level, in balance
- Main message: A society
benefits from greater
economic equality – not only
the poor – but the whole
population.
- Examples: Life expectancy,
literacy, infant mortality,
homicides, imprisonment,
mental illness, drug addiction
Income differences between the richest
and poorest 20%
Health and Social Effects
Negative effects
• Mental illness – incl.
drug & alcohol
addiction
• Infant mortality
• Homicides
• Imprisonment
• Teenage births
• Obesity
Positive effects
• Life expectancy
• Social mobility
• Math & Literacy
• Trust
Source: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009)
www.equalitytrust.org.uk
Summing up
• Gender equality and work life balance represent substantial
economic advantages, e.g. increased birth rates, employment
and taxes - with positive short term and long term effects.
• This is especially relevant during a financial crisis – as key
elements for a long term strategy to overcome the crisis.
• It is also important to discuss how the crisis can be used as an
opportunity to develop mechanisms that will have a positive
effect on gender equality and WLB – not a negative effect.
• Gender equality and work life balance is of course equally
relevant for women and men!