Economic crisis and gender equality in Europe

This crisis presents new aspects that no other crisis showed before. New aspects concern how much the role of women in the labour market has changed: women are no longer the employment buffer, they have been replaced by young people on temporary contracts and by male migrant workers -3% migrant women in employment, –8% migrant men. Women’s income role has changed: the standard of living of families now depends on female earnings. In many couples one of the two members lost job and income, and data show that dual earner couples lost ground -5,1% – almost entirely in favour of female breadwinner couples.