Geneva – Women working in the public sector in countries of the European Union (EU) have been particularly hard-hit by recent cutbacks in jobs, wages and benefits, according to a joint ILO European Commission study titled “Public Sector Adjustment in Europe”.
Euro banknotes. Source: Wikimedia Commons
In a chapter on gender, the study warns that these cuts will damage progress made towards gender equality.
Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, a Senior advisor to the Conditions of Work and Employment Programme of the ILO (International Labour Organization), and the Editor of the study, says that because women generally find more and better jobs in the public sector, they are particularly affected when that sector implements austerity measures.
The study shows that women in France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom have the most to lose due to their heavy dependence (45 to 50 per cent) on the public sector for employment, especially in higher level jobs.
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