Gender inequalities in the policy area _ main issues

• Pages: 4-7

2. Gender ineq ualities in the polic y area – main issues

European Inst itute for Gender Equal ity

4

2. Gender inequalities in the policy area –

main issues

Labour market participation,

deskilling and the informal

economy

Women migrants are more likely to be unemployed

or economically inactive than any other group in the

EU labour market. The labour market par ticipation

of women migrants, however, differs significantl y

when the reason for migration is taken into account.

Women migrating for family reasons have averagely

lower employment rates than women arriving for

study or work reasons. The employment rate of

women refugees is approximately 45 % whereas

the refugee men employment rate is on average

62 %. Some studies suggest that unemploy ment

rates are especially high among women coming

from countries where women’s employment rates

are very low. L abour segregation and pay gaps

are common among all skill groups.

Highly skilled women migrants face significant

barriers when accessing the EU labour market.

Admission schemes designed to attract highly

skilled migrant workers are often gender-blind,

thus causing detrimental effec ts for women. For

example, admission schemes generally tend to

prioritise professions linked to production sectors

(such as ICT, engineering and finance) where wom-

en are less represented than men. Social isolation

and lower labour market participation can cause

an increase in household and childcare responsi-

bilities for women, which can furth er reduce their

employability.

Women and men migrants and refugees are at

higher risk of landing in precarious and undeclared

employment due to the absence of robust protec-

tion mechanisms and fair recruitment practices

that guarantee their access to decent work. In

addition, due to difficul ties in getting qualifications

recognised, women migrants are at high risk of

being employed in low-paid jobs below their skill

and qualification levels, making them even more

vulnerable to deskilling. Deskilling is experienced

in two different ways: women professionals work in

sectors other than those they originally traine d in;

and they work at levels below their qualifications.

Some of the factors contributing to deskilling in-

clude: qualifications and skills not being recognised;

insufficient formal channels for information abou t

and access to employment; insuff icient or ineffec-

tive support str uctures for newly arrived qualified

migrants, which makes them reliant on informal

networks; a short age of affordable, accessible and

appropriate professional language courses for

qualified migrants and cultural and gender s tere-

otypes. These fa ctors may affect women and men

differently. For instance, women’s assigned roles

as caretakers within the family might constitute an

obstacle to attending language courses because

of their responsibilities towards children or other

dependents. Their need for reskilling or gaining

accreditation might not be a priority considering

the gender roles within the family. Stereotypical

perceptions about women’s caring role are present

in both host and origin societies, which might have

implications in reinforcing gender inequalities.

The most recently available data from the Inter-

national Labour Organization (ILO) indicate that

migrants make up the majority of domestic wor kers

all over the world and that women accounted for

73 % of the domestic workforce in 2013. In many

EU Member States, migrant domestic workers are

employed as undeclared workers in the informal

economy. While the EU institutions recognise in

the Work-Life Balance Directive the contribution of

domestic care work to the achievement of gender

equality targets through the develo pment of work–

life balance services for families, the illegal working

conditions of most women migrant workers in the

EU expose them to severe exploitation and abuse.

In addition, women and men migrant workers can

face difficultie s when they incur high debts as a result

of recruitment fees and consequently may become

victims of debt bondages with their recrui ters. They

are also highly dependent on the employer and

may have little or no knowledge of their right s or

the ways in which they can seek suppor t.