Anália Torres | Rui Brites | Bernardo Coelho | Inês Cardoso | Paula Jerónimo

Family and gender in EuropeTrends of convergence and divergence comparing countries

Diversity in Europe, same pathways from different starting points and dynamics, specific configurations.

European trends in family and gender relations

Women’s search for autonomy and gender equality

Valuing feelings and emotions

Secularization

Individualization

To understand those differences between countries we need to account for:1. Structural, institutional,cultural contexts;2. Dynamics of change in specific countries.

Valuing feelings and emotions

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Family Friends Leisure timePolitics Work ReligionVoluntary organizacions Centre of scale

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FamilyFamily FriendsFriends Leisure timeLeisure timePoliticsPolitics WorkWork ReligionReligionVoluntary organizacionsVoluntary organizacions Centre of scale

Extremelyunimportant

Extremelyimportant

ESS (round 1) 2002

Contradicting stereotypes:

1. individuals value family and emotional dimensions.

2. Common values in Europe shared by the majority of the countries.

Women’s search for autonomy and gender equality

0,000,501,001,502,002,503,003,504,004,505,005,506,00

Norw

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en

Finl

and

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UK

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Cypr

us

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ia

Spai

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Port

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Interesting(men) Stressful (men)Interesting(women) Stressful (women)

How much of the time do you find your job interesting and stressful

ESS (round 3) 2006

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Enjoyable (men) stressful (men)

Enjoyable (women) stressful (women)

How much of the time spent with your immediate family is enjoyable and stressful

0,010,0

20,030,040,050,060,070,080,0

90,0100,0

Sw

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tries

The work I do is an important part of my life (Men)The work I do is an important part of my life (Women)I would continue working even if I did not need the money anymore (Men)I would continue working even if I did not need the money anymore (Women)

0,010,0

20,030,040,050,060,070,080,0

90,0100,0

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and

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Bul

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Rom

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All

coun

tries

The work I do is an important part of my life (Men)The work I do is an important part of my life (Women)I would continue working even if I did not need the money anymore (Men)I would continue working even if I did not need the money anymore (Women)

EB 60.3 and CCEB 2003

Work attachment for men and women (%)

ESS (round 3) 2006

Equal patterns of satisfaction and stress in work between men and women.

Both for men and women work time is always perceived as more interesting than stressful.

- Work as main sphere of investment both for men and women.

Both for men and women time spent with family is more enjoyable than stressful

Contradicting stereotypes, women tend to attribute the same importance to work as men do. Work is a value in itself, making part of a feminine social identity.

The discrepancies between the sexes are far narrower than the differences between countries.

New meanings of the family in Europe

ESS (Round 2), 2004

c

Great consensus in the ideological plan: Europeans tend to adopt an equalitarian perspective and reject a traditional vision of men’s and women’s roles in the family.

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men w omenSeries3

agree strongly

disagree strongly

1,01,52,02,53,03,54,04,55,0

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men w omenSeries3

agree strongly

disagree strongly

A person’s family ought to be his or her main priority in life

Men should take as much responsibility as women for the home and children

ESS (round 2)

2004 ESS (round 2) 2004

A woman should be prepared to cut down on her paid work for the sake of her family

When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women

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and UK

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Men Women

strongly agree

agree

strongly disagree

agree

neither agreenor disagree

disagree

1,00

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Men Women

strongly agree

agree

strongly disagree

agree

neither agreenor disagree

disagree

ESS (round 2)

2004 ESS (round 2)

2004

Gender Roles by Men / Fathers, and women / mothers and Country

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men without children under 12 fathers of children under 12women without children under 12 mothers of children under 12

+

_

ESS (round 2) 2004

Gender Roles Index: “A woman should be prepared to cut down on her paid work for the sake of her family”; “Men should take as much responsibility as women for the home and children”; “When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women”; “When there are children in the home, parents should stay together even if they don’t get along”.

*Variance explained = 44,834%; α = 0,588Country: F(22, 41590) = 245,264, p < 0,000, ETA2=0,115 Gender: F(1, 41529) = 635,814, p < 0,000, ETA2=0,015

Gender roles in the family are perceived slightly differently by men without children and men with children under 12.

Structural, cultural and institutional constraints can explain differences among European countries.

In a cross country perspective women tend to be more egalitarian than men.

Egalitarianism tend to decrease from Nordic countries, to continental Europe and to the Southern and eastern European countries.

But country differences are more important than differences between men and fathers. The same can be said about women and mothers of children under 12.

Gender Roles IndicatorsHierarchical Cluster Analysis (Ward Method) by Gender relations in the family

Germany 8 Austria 9 Spain 22 Switzerland 13 Slovakia 19 Portugal 23 Ireland 14 Slovenia 18 United Kingdom 6 Luxembourg 12 Estonia 20 France 7 Czech Republic 16 Poland 17 Greece 24 Hungary 15 Ukraine 21 Netherlands 10 Belgium 11 Finland 3 Iceland 5 Sweden 2 Denmark 4 Norway 1

INTE

RM

EDIA

RY

TRA

DIC

ION

AL

EGA

LITA

RIA

N

ESS (round 2) 2004

• The transformations of the family in Europe follows the same patterns but with calendar differences and cultural variants.

• Each region have particular configurations and combinations between the old and the new. It still makes sense, analytically, to differentiate between the northern and the southern European countries (although there are also internal differences within the groups of countries).

• Long term structural dynamics in each country. But also conjuncture effects, changes in politics and policies, the strength of feminist movements…

• Portugal. The effect of Colonial War. But also young people leaving home soon to marry (less skilled, less educated..)

• Eastern countries. (The cry of revenge... U.Beck) • Germany. Doing it all differently from the East…• U. Kingdom. Changes from 1997 on.• Spain and Finland. Both with high young people unemployment rate but

with different fertility rates and policies.

Multiple Regression, dependent variable: Gender Roles Index

Education and sex are the stronger predictors:

- The higher educated are more egalitarian and being a woman also means having more egalitarian values.

Swed

en

Neth

erla

nds

UK

Fran

ce

Aust

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Spai

n

Portu

gal

Czec

h Re

p.

Gre

ece

Adjusted R2 .094 .070 .068 .124 .103 .254 .147 .084 .208 Years Education Completed ,236*** ,241*** ,145*** ,288*** ,181*** ,458*** ,262*** ,209*** ,333***

Income - - ,119*** - - - ,197*** - - Sexa ,123*** ,119*** ,074* ,066* ,193*** ,135*** ,101* ,187*** ,284*** Working hours (week) - - - - - -,103* - - -,061*

Living alone - - - - -,085* -,103* - - Chidless Couple - - - - -,170*** - - -

Couple with children - - - - -,122* - - -

Hous

ehol

d Ty

peb

Lone parent ,066* ,118*** ,097* - ,083* ,089** - * p< 0,05; **p< 0,001; *** p< 0,0001. aldummy variable: 0=men, 1=women b dummy variable: reference: “Other”

Spain

Years of completed education have a special impact on gender role index

Greece

France

Sex

Education

Economic resources

Women are more gender equalitarian

Austria

Czech Republic

Sweeden

Netherlands

Higher the income more equalitarian

Portugal UK

0102030405060708090

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about w omen about men

Have a full-time job while she/he has children aged under 3 (% approve + strongly

approve)

Clear different pattern for mothers and for fathers.

Persistent feminization of caring responsabilities.

For men there is no question:

Very strong approval across Europe.

For women:

Very high approval: Nordic (except Sweden);

Moderate approval: Belgium, Poland Slovenia, Spain, Portugal.

Very low approval: UK, Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Russia.

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Esto

nia

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sia

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Bul

garia

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nd

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nd

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man

y

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gium

Spai

n

Cyp

rus

Finl

and

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mar

k

Slov

enia

Nor

way

Port

ugal

Swed

en

ESS (round 3) 2006

Parenthood – work gender discrimination (%)

Strong differences among european countries:

- Nordic countries and Portugal more equalitarian.

Persistence of traditional orientations to work and care in many european countries:

- Feminization of care.

Conclusions

Both men and women agree that family and paid work are important.

The importance of feelings and emotional life is globally stressed - family, friends, leisure.

Family is a sphere of personal investment both for men and women.

What is changing is the family models, the meanings and forms of investment in the family.

Women want to invest in both fronts, family and work. But in the majority of the countries they have to pay a price for maintaining both investments. Gender equality is continually at stake.

Across Europe women assume more modern positions than men, especially accounting for family gender roles.

Persistent gender values (feminization of care):Some european countries with high levels of gender discrimination about the orientations between work and care when children under 3.

The transformations of the family in Europe follow the same patterns but with calendar differences and cultural variants.

It still makes sense, analytically, to differentiate between the northern and the southern European countries (although there are also internal differences within the groups of countries).

Family is not more important in the southern countries than in other countries european countries or regions.

Strucutrual constraints are important for the definition of more modern and equalitarian gender roles.

Education Sex Economic resources

Each region has particular configurations and combinations.

Country cluster show nordic countries consistently equalitarian.

extras

Have a full-time job while she/he has children aged under 3

(% approve + strongly approve)

Clear different pattern for mothers and for fathers.

For women:

Very high approval: Nordic (except Sweden);

Moderate approval: Belgium, Poland Slovenia, Spain, Portugal;

Very low approval: UK, Germany,

Switzerland, Estonia, Russia

ESS (round 3) 2006

0102030405060708090

100

Nor

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about w omen about men

Country: F(18, 34291) = 178,669; p < 0,000, ETA2 = 0,086Gender: F(1, 34285) = 2,111; p = n.s.

Parenthood – work gender discrimination index *(%)

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Esto

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sia

Slov

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Bul

garia

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Pola

nd

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man

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Slov

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Nor

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Port

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en

ESS (round 3) 2006

* “Have a full-time job while she/he has children aged under 3” (% approve + strongly approve)

About men – About women

Strong differences among european countries:

- Nordic countries and Portugal more equalitarian.

Persistence of traditional orientations to work and care in many european countries:

- Feminization of care.

4,8 5,0 5,2 5,4

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W

W

W

W

W

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W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

WNorway

Sweden

FinlândiDenmark

UK

Germany

France

Austria

Netherlands

Belgium

Switzerland

Irleland

Hungary

Poland

Slovenia

Slovakia

Estonia

Bulgaria

Ukraine

Cyprus

Russia

Spain

Portugal

Pare

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wor

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x(%

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Time spent with family is enjoyable

Low level of gender discrimination in relation to parenthood and work, higher is the level of satisfaction with time spent with family.

Choose never to have children (women about women)

ESS (round 3) 2006

ESS (round 3) 2006

0%

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100%

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strongly disapprove + disapprove neither approve nor disapprove approve + strongly approve

Neither approve nor disapprove with very high values in:

UK, Germany, Switzerland and Portugal