Women in Europe Need ‘Greater Economic Independence’ To Avoid Poverty
Olivier De Shutter recently conducted a two-month mission to the European Union, where women are more likely to fall into poverty than men, a situation that has further deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Women are disproportionately more at risk of poverty compared to men (22.3 per cent compared to 20.4 per cent in the EU). What is perhaps even more striking is that for older women, particularly having reached pension age, the gaps are significantly higher (averaging 37.2% across the EU). There is still a division of roles between women and men within households that makes it more difficult for women to seek long-term, full-time employment. Women’s careers are often interrupted to take care of children, and many more women work on a part-time basis, so the level of pensions they receive is much lower. The majority of lone-parent households are also headed by women, and no less than 40 per cent of these families are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. That is a huge percentage. Social protection systems have not been truly responsive to changing family patterns and women are disproportionately affected by this situation.
Tags : INTERNATIONAL Women in Europe Need ‘Greater Economic Independence’ To Avoid Poverty