Gender Inequality in the Economy of the EU Countries: A Modern Aspect
Authors:   V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Galutskykh Nataliia А. , Didorchuk Iryna L. ,   V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Shuba Olena А. ,   V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Melana V. Mamedova ,   V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
Published: December 2024

The aim of the article is to determine the current state of gender equality in the economy of the EU countries and to generalize proposals for overcoming the existing gender inequality. The understanding of gender inequality has always depended on the level of social development, and until now there is no unified approach to the interpretation of the essence of the concept of «gender inequality» in the scientific community. The main factors of gender inequality in the economy of the EU countries are religion, stereotypes and gender attitudes, which are interrelated and to some extent influence gender inequality in society. Religion can be attributed to the factors that directly led to the emergence of gender inequality. The existing groups of stereotypes play a significant role in the existence of gender inequality: the first group of stereotypes divides men and women on the basis of masculinity (dominance, activity, leadership ability) and femininity (dependence, emotionality); the second group of stereotypes includes ideas about the distribution of family and professional roles between men (active participation in public life, responsibility for the material support of the family) and women (responsibility for family relationships); the third group of gender stereotypes concerns the peculiarities of the nature of work (women’s work should be of a performing and service direction, and men should focus on creative and managerial activities). The European Union treats gender inequality as a significant problem that remains an obstacle to further economic development. Thus, throughout the existence of the EU, the employment rate of women there has been much lower compared to men (the economic activity of women is about 64%, while the employment rate of the male population is almost 73.8%). Another indicator that characterizes gender inequality is the differentiation in wages for the same or similar work. Gender gaps (the difference in the average pay of men and women, calculated as a percentage) vary significantly in different EU countries: Estonia has the highest level of gender pay gap (25.2%), Romania has the lowest (5%). In order to analyze the state of gender equality, the gender inequality index is usually used: the lowest values of the index are observed in Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland, which indicates a high level of gender equality achieved in these countries. On the other hand, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia are characterized by the highest value of the gender inequality index, that is, they have problems with gender equality. Thus, gender inequality is present in all areas of society in the European Union. In order to overcome it, the «Gender Equality Strategies of the European Union» are being developed and implemented, which ensure the promotion of gender equality and detail the directions of action.