ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (75)36
Vol.1975/0015

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROEEAN COMMUMTIES
COM(75)36 final
Brussels ,12February 1975
EQUALITY OFTREATMENT BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN WORKERS
(Access toemployment ,tovocational training ,to
promotion ,andasregards working conditions )
/
(Communication oftheCommission totheCouncil )
0OE(75 )36final

CONTENTS
Chapters
Introduction .
ITheSituation ofWorking Womeninthe
Community .
IIEmployment ,Recruiting Conditions and
Promotion .
IllVocational Guidance ,Training andRetraining
IVWorkingConditions .
VChildCareFacilities andSupportfor
WorkerswithFamilyResponsibilities .
VISocialSecurity
VIIActiontobeundertaken atComnunity Level.
Annex
TableIWomenintheLabourForce.
TableIaWomeninthevarious economic sectors.
TableIIUnemployment amongWomen.
TableIIIDayNurseries ,
TableIVNurserySchoolsandClasses.
Directive .

INTRODUCTION
InitsResolution of21January1974(l)theCouncilofthe
European Communities decided : /
(a)totakeactiontoensureequalitybetweenmen.andwomenregarding
accesstoemployment ,tovocational guidanoe andtraining andin
respectofworkconditions andpay;
(b)tostrivetoreconcile familyresponsibilities withtheprofessional
aspirations ofthepeopleconcerned ..
i
Theattached Memorandum isafirststepinthe;direction
indicated bytheCouncil.Ithasbeendrawnupafterconsultation
withagroupofexpertsnominated bytheMemberStatesandagroup
ofrepresentatives ofthesocialpartners.TheMemorandum contains
aBhortanalysis oftheproblemsaffecting womenatworkaswellas
someguidelines foractionineachoftheareasspecified inthe
CouncilResolution .Theseguidelines areaddressed inthemainto
theMemberStates.Theyconstitute thegeneralframework within
whichtheinitialseriesofCommunity activities setoutinChapter
VII,themostimportant ofwhichistheproposedDirective annexed
totheMemorandum ,canbeundertaken .
'Theachievement ofequalityofpayforequalworkbetweenmen
andwomenisthesubjectofseparateactionunderArticle119of"the
TreatyofRome.
•••/
(l)OfficialJournal C13/1|12February 1974.

CIIAPTEK I
THESITUATION OPWOHXIITG WOMENINTHECOMMUNITY
1,Whenitresolved totakeactionforthepurposeofachieving
equality between menandwomenasregardsaccesstoemployment and
vocational training andadvancement andasregardsworkingconditions ,
including pay,theCouncilexpressed itsdesiretowidenandintensify
theactionbegunin1958,particularly underArticle119oftheTreaty
ofRome,inordertoimprovethesituation cfwomenatwork,
2.Inaccordance withthis,theMemorandum dealswithproblems
relating tothepreparation foraccessto,andtheexercise ofvocational
activities bywomen.Itdefinesthemeasures tobetakentoencourage
equality oftreatment andopportunity forwomeninregardtoaccessto
employment ,education andtraining ,promotion andworkingconditions ,
3,Equality oftreatment between menandwomenintheserespects
isdependent ontheprogress whichcanbemadetowards "reconciling the
familyresponsibilities ofthoseconcerned withtheirprofessional
aspirations ".TheCommission doesnot,forthepresent ,seekto
dea,lwithallaspectsofthisquestion.Inparticular itisnothere
concerned withfamilypolicyassuch.-Inaccordance withthemandate
givenbytheCouncil,theCommission inthisMemorandum confinesitself
tothoseaspectswhichareofparticular importance towomenworking
outsidethehomeandnotablythosearisingfromtheneedtocarefor
youngchildren orelderlyandinfirmpersons a
Women'ssituation onthelabonrmarket
4.Thenumberofemployed orself-employed KOE®nintbeCommunity'is
estimated vtobeabout35million.Theirproportion inthetotal
workingpopulation rangesfrom35"to40JoinmostoftheMemberStates'
andabout25%intheNetherlands ,ItalyandIreland.Themostsignificant
recentphenomenon is'thegrowthintheactivityrateofmarried women!.

5. Their position inthelabour market comprises acertain number of
specific characteristics (l).These characteristics make itpossible
todefine thenature oftheproblems encountered bywomen holding a
joborwishing totake upavocational activity .
(a)Women 'semployment isconcentrated incertain sectors (notably the
tertiary )andincertain types ofjobs ,usually those requiring a
1clower level ofqualification .Work done mainly bywomen often
carries lower wages andprovides fewer opportunities forpromotion .
(b)Many women areillprepared bytheir education andtraining forthe
exercise ofatrade orprofession .Formany young girls their
future role aswives and mothers tends toovershadow the role
which they could play intheworking world .
(c)Thedevelopment oftheworking career ofmany women isdecisively ,
influenced bymarriage andmotherhood .Having interrupted their
careers tohave ababy ,women have considerable difficulty in
reconciling their careers with their family responsibilities ..
6. Theconcentration ofwomen incertain types ofactivity ,the
limited training opportunities open tothem ,andtheactual orpoten­
tial interruption oftheir careers exert ,albeit indifferent measures
inthevarious Member States ,aninhibiting effect ontheir working
careers .Thefirst handicap isfound invocational guidance and
training .Thus unimaginative guidance athome andatschool frequently
leads young women tooptforshort so-called "Women 's"training courses
often without anyprofessional future .Insome countries ,there is
also thesegregation between boys andgirls inthegeneral educational
systems andeven atthepoint ofvocational training .This produces ^a
demarcation inthelabour market which nolonger corresponds tothe
•••/#••
(l)Theanalysis touched ontheparagraph isbased onstudies ofwomen
atwork undertaken bytheCommission ,notably :
–E.Sullerot ,theEmployment ofWomen andtheProblems itraises
inthe .Member States oftheCommunity ,1970 .
-E.Vogel ,Conditions ofEmployment ofWage-Earning Women ,1972 .
R.Cornu ,Women 'sEmployment inDenmark ,Ireland andtheUnited -
Kingdomo

jobswhichareactuallyavailable .Asecondobstaclearisesatthepoint
ofaccesstoemployment ,sinceayoungwomanapplyingforajobrepre­
sentsintheeyesofheremployer apotential absentee® Thisattitude
hindersnotonlyheremployment butalsoliraitsherchancesofpromotion .
Lastly,whena3540yearoldwomanwishestoreturntoworkaftera
longabsence,shemeetsspecificdifficulties ofbothapsychological
andavocational nature,
7.Agrowingnumberofwomenareawareofthissituation .They
actively resentthediscrimination whichtheysufferandtheirconfi­
nementtoaghettoofwomenjoLs0Theydemandasubstantial change
towardsgreaterequality oftreatments Thepastfewyearshaveseen
aconsiderable increaseinprotestactionbywomen.Suchaction,
however,givesonlyaninadequate indication cfthetensions anddiffi­
cultieswithwhichworking womenhavetocontendfromdaytoday,
8.Thesolutionoftheseproblemsisnoteasy.Equality oftreatment
between menandwomeninemployment isoneoftheelements inthewider
areaofsocialprogress andtheachievement ofequalopportunities for
all.Becauseoftheneedtomakeupforpast'neglect,theachievement
ofequality mayentail,particularly intheshortterm,expenditure
greaterthancaneasilybeincurred atatimeofeconomicdifficulty.''
Butquiteapartfromtheessential justiceofthisdevelopment ,such
shorttermexpenditure willbringareturninthemediumandlongterm
asaresultoftheprovision ofcompetent andflexible labourforthe
economyandbythecontribution whichwomenworkerswillmaketothe
country ?sgrossnational product,totaxrevenueandbywayofsocial
security contributions *
9.Noonewouldwishtobelittle thesubstantial progress towards
'equality whichhasbeenmadeinthelastfewdecades.Therangeof
professions andtradesopentowomenhaswidened jthelevelofwomen's
qualification hasbeenraised;education forgirlshasimprovedsigni­
ficantly :andsegregation hasbeenreduced.Thesedevelopments have

1
-4-
■been "broughtaboutbyanumberoffactors,notablythegrowingdemand
ofthelabourmarketsincethesecondworldwarandtheprofound
changewhichsocietyhasundergone throughout Europe,notleastin
patterns ofconsumption andtheroleofthefamily,
10.Thisrateofprogressis,however,inadequate ,Women'sexpec­
tationsandtheirindividual andcollective wishforequality have
grownfasterthantheimprovement oftheirpositioninthelabour
market.Inthefaceofthisdisparity ,thosewhohavethepowerto.
makechangeswouldlaythemselves opentoreproachiftheywereto
usethepresenteconomicdifficulties asareasonforpostponing the
measures neededtoachievefullequality ^
11.Inthefirstplacetheexpanding economicsituation andthe
virtually permanent laboupshortage whichithasbroughtabouthave
createdhabits .andpatterns ofbehaviour difficult toreverseinthe
periodofslowergrowthintowhichwearemoving,Neithertheeconomic
needsoffamilies northeeducational levelofwomenwillpermitthe
removalofwomenfromthelabourmarket.Moreover ,womentodayareno
longercontenttoprovideapoolofcasuallabour.
Thechangeinthesocio-economic character ofthefamilymeans
thatparentsincreasingly tendtoplanwhentohavetheirchildren.
Youngpeoplearegettingmarriedearlierandtendtohavealimited
numberofchildrenintheearlieryearsoftheirmarriage sothatthe
wifeissoonabletoresumeworkoutsidethehome.
Equality oftreatment anditsimplicatio ns ;
12.Toobtainequaltreatment formenandwomeninemployment ,"itis
necessary toattacktheinequalities inthevariousfieldsofvocational
life,remedying thecausewherepossible.Thefollowing chapters' examine
thevariousfields,Adetailed examination showsthatobjective and
subjective factorsarecloselyinterwoven .
•••/•••

-5-
13aDifferences intreatment canbetheresultoflawsorofcontracts
orofindividual habitsandbehaviour .Theystemfrom'anumberof
causes :
(a)considerations ofaphysicalnature(workneedingphysicalstrength
or'involving potential physicaldanger)orof.amoralnature -(danger
involvedincertainnightwork).Theseconsiderations areharlly
viablenowinviewofchangesinthecontentofthework.Moreover
theywerenotappliedincertaintraditionally femalesectors
(e.g.nursing);
(b)considerations relatingtothedisturbance whichmaternity andchild
caremaycausetoawoman'scareer(interruption ofwork,absenteism ,
theneedfor.flexible .workinghours).Thisisacrucialproblem
demanding fullrecognition ofthesocialfunction ofmaternity ,Under
presentconditions ,amarried womanwhoworksisdoublyhandicapped :
inherprivatelife,andasregardsheremployer'sreluctance tobear
theriskandcostofherpossible absences.
(c)thev;ayinwhichwomen'sworktendstoberegardedasasupplementary
sourceofincomejthisconceptresultsfrom(b)aboveandispartly
explained byanxietyrelatedtopossible competition onthelabour
market 9
14.Eachofthethreesetsofcausesreflects agenuineproblem.But
amoreseriousproblemexistswhichunderlies theothers.Thisisthe
generalattitude towards womenworkers.Whethermarriedorsingle,
whetherherwageisthemainorasupplementary sourceoffamilyincome,
whatever herplansforthefuture,awomanstilltendstoberegarded on
thelabourmarket,becausesheisawoman,withanelementofsuspicion .
#9»/«••

-6-
Whenehepresentsherselfforart'interview orapromotion ,thefact
thatsheisawomantendstoweighmoreheavilythanherother
attributes .Thisattitudeisofcoursepartlyexplained byobjec­
tivefactors ,suchastherickthatshemayhavetointerrupt her
work,whichareoftenexaggerated .Butthedifficulties encountered
bywomenwishingtoreturntoworkafterchildbirth andtheinitial
periodofcare,whentheriskofabsenceisreduced,indicatethat
itisnotonlyaquestion oftheobjections referred toabovebutof
awidespread prejudice amongemployers ,tradeunionsandeducators ,
aswellasinthepublicservices,
15oTwostepsmusttherefore betakentoachieveequality of
treatment :actiononabroadfronttoeliminate prejudice against
theexercise bywomenoffreechoiceonthelabourmarket ;andthe
effective recognition ofthesocialfunction ofmaternity inorder
toreducethehandicap whichthisconstitutes forwomenwishingto
work,Cfcoui-ce,theseobjectives canbeachieved onlygradually#
Theyarethebasisofthemeasures outlinedinthefollowing
chapters.'
Généra,!/r^idelinésforaction
16.Theeconomic reversal notedsincetheestablishment ofthe
SocialActionPrograinme changesthecircumstantial contextinwhich -
thisMemorandum isplaced.Newproblems havearisenasrogardsthe
achievement offullandbetteremployment .Thereisariekthat
thewilltotakethe'necessary actionwillbeweakened and'that
inertiafactorsmayweighheavily.Buttheurgencyoftheproblem ■'
ofequaltreatment inemployment persists.'Incpiteofthepresent -
economicdifficulties abeginning shouldbemadetowardsitsresolu­
tionwithoutdelay.
•••/•••

-7-
17.Thedevelopment ofthis action depends primarily onMember States ,
thesocial partners andonwomen themselves .Inseveral respects it
also concerns theCommunity ,First ,itisthe "basis andextension ic-
oftheaction takfen toachieve equal payenvisa ,r;?dinArticle 119of
theRome Treaty .Secondly ,itforms part oftheachievement ofahigh
level ofemployment which theTreaty ofRome lays down asoneoftie
Community 'sprime objectives ,Lastly ,itisafield where workers 5
solidarity ,already well established attheEuropean level ,canyield
practical results .Ifthepositive experience already gained inthe
field ofwomen 'semployment isdisseminated itislikely toencourage
further constructive measures ,
18,Theprincipal objective oftheCommission istoguarantee both
menandwomen theeffective exercise oftheright towork andofaccess
toit.This right ,which isenshrined intheconstitutions ofmost
Member States hasuptonewseemed tomany women tobeonly £formality ,
therealization ofwhich they have been unable toachieve ,
19»Inthefollowing chapter thevarious aspects oftheproblem of
equal opportunities forwomen atwork arereviewed .Theguidelines
suggested attheendofeach chapter areaddressed totheMember States ,
Atthe same time they arethesource oftheproposals ,and inparticular
oftheannexed draft Directive ,which theCommission sets outinthe
last chapter ,
20,Iftheright towork istobeassured action ofthefollowing kind is
needed :
(a)Legal discrimination aspersists between menandwomen inoccupa­
tional terms must beeliminated .This isthepurpose ofthe
draft Directive which theCommission isproposing totheCouncil ,
(b)Action toredress thealltoofrequent unbalance between menandwomen as
concerns training ,employment andpromotion opportunities tjadconditions of
work .Action toredress this balance isessentially ISryresponsibility ,
•©•/9m0

ofIlemherotates,Itisintended .,however,thattheSocialFund
shouldplayapromotional roleandtheCommission proposes to
developsucharolein1975»
(c)Lastly,itisnecessaryfortheCommunity tofightforachangeof
attitude towomen'sworkand,asalreadyindicated ona"broadfront,
fortheprogressive reduction ofentrenched prejudices byanactive
information policywhichshouldincludethedissemination ofexamples
ofeffective actiontoeliminate discrimination -

CHAPTERII
EIPTiOYTIBI'IT,HECRUTTIJTG COM>ITIOIJS AH)PROIIOTION
1.Theparticipation ofwomeninthelabourmarketvariesaccording
tocountry,regionandsocialbackground .TableIoftheAnnexshows
theproportion ofwomeninthetotalactivepopulation .Ingeneral,
thenumberofwomenatworkdependsonfactorssuchasthelength
ofthecompulsory andoptional education period,improved pension
schemesandtherestructuring ofcertainsectorsoftheeconomy.
Asregardstheindividual ,thesocialbackground ,whichaffects men
inpurelyqualitative termsonly,hasafargreatereffectasregards
women;whilstawomanfromaconfortable homecanchoosebetween
stayingathomeorgoingouttowork,itisnotunusualtofindwomen
withseveralchildren whoselivingconditions forcethemtowork.
Atallevents,themostsignificant phenomenon ofthepastfewyears,
inalltheCommunity countries hasbeentherapidgrowthofthe
activityrateofmarried women.Accountshouldnevertheless betaken
ofthefactthatthistrendismainlydue,particularly inDenmark ,
Ireland,Netherlands andtheUnitedKingdom ,totheriseinthe
numberofpart-time jobs. "
2.Although mostcountries showanincrease inthenumberofvromen
takingpartineconomiclife,women'semployment isnonetheless very
sensitive toeconomicvariations .Thus,inanumberofcountries ,
therateoffemaleunemployment hasincreased morerapidlythanthat
ofmaleunemployment .Itshouldbepointedout,however,thatfemale
unemployment cannoteasilybediscerned sincewomenwholoseajob
oftentendtowithdraw fromthelabourmarket,althoughthisnumber
hasdroppedinthepastfewyears.
3«Thusthethreatofrecession orslowing-down ofgrowthrapidly
revealsthestructural problems ofwomen'semployment .Thehighpro­
portionofwomenemployedinfirmsonthedeclineareoftenthe
casualties whenthesefirmsshutdown,particularly inthetextile ,

•»10–
clothing ,footwear andfoodindustries .Thedifficulties encountered
bywomeninfindinganewjob,andtheirlowandunsuitable qualifi­
cationsexplainthelongperiodsoffemaleunemployment incomparison
withmaleunemployment .Thisisoften ,duetothefactthatfewer
womenthanmenbenefitfromretraining courses.Furthermore ,the
increasing numberofyoungwomeninBelgium ,PranceandItaly,who
areunemployed isaresultofthebadvocational andeducational
guidance giventogirlswhoeithercomeonthelabourmarketwithout
qualifications attheendofcompulsory schooling ,orwithqualifica­
tionswhicharenoteasilyusableonthelabourmarket.
4.Thedifficulties encountered by-womeninemployment arepartly
explained bytheirconcentration incertainso-called feminine
activities (l).Women'slackofmobilityinregionswherethereis
nosuchemployment heightens thesedifficulties .Theconcentration
ofwomenincertainindustrial sectorsisduenotonlytotradition
butalsototherecognition oftheirmanualdexterity ,asinthe
electronics ,electrical ,machineassembly andsimile ,rindustries .
Furthermore ,therelatively lowerqualification ofthefemalelabour
force,badlytrainedforjobsrequiring ,forexample,mechanical
skillsandknowledge ,helptokeepwomenintheleastcapital-
intensive sectors wheresalaries alsotendtobelowest,.Thus
womenareunabletoprofitfromtheirqualifications inindustries
wheretechnical crualificationsaremoreimportant thanmanual
i
dexterity ,.
5.Theconcentration ofwomenincertainsectorsandbranches of
activityisaccompanied byaconcentration atcertainlevelsof
employment .Womenconstitute themajority ofthosewithlittleor
noqualification .Evenwhenawomanisqualified ,thequalification
maybeunsuitable andleadawomanwithaqualification inonebranch
ofactivitytoacceptunskilled workinsmotherbranch.Thus,itis
*••Im••
(l)SeeTableI-aoftheAnnex.

notunusualtofindtheelectronics industryrecruiting dressmakers
tocarryoutmeticulous assembly workorothermanualoperations *
Thisexampleillustrates howmistaken advicemaywastetraining
opportunities andrestrict theemployment opportunities ofwomen
throughout theirlives.
6.Employment difficulties notonlyconcernyoungwomen.Theage
structure inwomen'semployment haschangedsothattheworking
population comprises fewerveryyoungwomenandmoremarried women
agedover35.Theproblemofreinsertion intotheworkingpopula­
tionofwomenreturning afteranabsence ,orofthosewhohavenever
worked,isprincipally oneofguidance ,vocational training and
adequate information .Whenwomenareisolated intheirhome,they
arebarelyawareofeconomic andsocialdevelopments .Forw&nt
ofinformation ,theirtalentsremainunused,
7.Moreover ,employment services andagencies oftenreinforce
traditional attitudes byfailingtoadvisewomenontherangeof
jobswhichareopentothem.Theymayalsodiscriminate inoffering
vacancies orinselecting candidates forsubmission toprospective
employers .Professional associations andtradeunionssometimes
influence aperson'spossibilities ofgaining employment .Again,
theexercise ofcertainactivities requiring publiccontrolis
dependent uponthepossession ofalicenceissuedbypublicautho­
rities,whichmaydiscriminate ongroundofsez.Theholdingof
separate recruitment -competitions constitutes ,forwomeninthe
recruitment forjobswhichareopentobothse:ces,another form
ofdiscrimination whichiswhollyunjustified .

8.Thetraditional attitudes totheroleofwomenhavetended
tolimitmuchoftheiremployment tothemarginsofthelabour
market.Theworkofferedtothemhastoooftenteenbelowthe
leveloftheirskills,inthelessstablesectorsofemployment ,
wherecontinuity andthedevelopment ofacareerstructure are
largelyabsent.Thustheworkwomenarethoughttobewilling
andabletodohastendedtobecomeaself-fulfilling prophecy :
because womenhavenotbeengivenjobscapableofdevelopment ,
theyhavenotdeveloped inthejobstheyhavebeengiven,and
employers havebeenconfirmed intheirprejudices .
%Equality ofopportunity withinacareerstructure isas
important asaccesstoacareer.Theproportion ofwomenat
theupperlevelsofalmostanysectorofthelabourmarketis
notproportionate tothetotalnumberofwomeninthatsector.
Therecentstudyofasampleofwomeninemployment hasconfirmed
thatwomenareunder-represented ,particularly attheprofessional
levelofemployment .Thus,inGermany ,oneineveryeightheads
offirmsisawoman.Atthemanagerial level,thereisonewoman
forevery50men.InFrance,60.5ofwomenworkinginindustry
aremanualworkers ?only10fo(ecopai'fcdwiiU32.5$ofmen)reach
supervisory andmanagerial levels.
10.Theeffectofeducation andtraining opportunities on
promotion prospects mustnotbeoverlooked .Because womencannot
alwaystakeadvantage ofsuitabletrainingfacilities ,theydo
notbecomequalified forhigherposts.Andbecausetheirchances
ofpromotion aretraditionally poor,theyarenotalwaysmotivated
topreparethemselves forthembysuitabletrailing.
Guidelmes foraction
11.Inordertoremedythepresentsituation andtomake
progress towardsequalopportunities formenandwomenatwork,
anumberofguidelines foractionaresetoutbelow.Their
implementation requires ,depending onthecircumstances ,
statutory andregulatory measures aswellaspractical steps

onthepartofthoseresponsible .Theproposed Directive is
intended todealwiththosemeasures whicharesusceptible to
statutory orregulatory action.Bythismeansitishopedto
makeprogress towardstheharmonization ofthoseareascovered
bytheDirective .Therangeofpossible measures includes :
(a)theelimination ofalloutdatedorunjustified obstacles to
theemployment ofwomenj
(b)thecreationofarrangements toensureequalaccessformen
andwomenonthebasisofindividual qualifications and
experience andwithoutregardtosexormaritalstatus,to
allsectorsofthelabourmarket ;
(c)thepromotion ,intheorganisation ofnationallabourmarkets,
ofmeasures toensureeffective helptowomeninthechoice
oftheircareersandintheirlaterreturntowork(especially
bytheorientation oftheemployment services tothisendand
byestablishing effective publicsupervision oftheregulation
governing temporary employment );
(d)theraisingofthelevelsofemployment insectorsmainly
staffedbywomen(bytherevisionofjobspecifications and
theenlargement ofcareerprospects );
(e)theprovision ofequalopportunities forpromotion onthe
basisofindividual qualification andexperience without
regardtosexormaritalstatus ;
(f)theinclusion inplansforregionaldevelopment oftheneedto
createjobsbothformenandwomen;
(g)thereviewofconditions ofemployment andparticularly ofthe
agelimitsatpresentsetforentrytothoseoccupations in
whichanupperagelimitforentryisoperative .

-14
CHAPTERIII
VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE ,TRAINING ANDRETRAINING
1.Theachievement ofequalopportunity forwomeninemployment
dependsnotonlyontheopeningofaccesstoawiderrangeofjobs.
Education ,inherited assumptions abouttypesofworksuitablefor
women,andlimitedaccesstovocational training arealsoimportant
determinants .Herethereisa1ink-^upbetweenconventional ideas,
theireffects,theresulting behaviour andtherepetition ofprevious
situations .Evenwhentheyknowthattheyhaveaccesstoagreater
numberoftrainingpossibilities ,anumberofgirlsarelikelyto
abandontheidea,fearingthedifficulties theymayencounter on
thelabourmarket.
2«Formalsegregation traditionally beginsatschool.Although
mixedschooling isnowwidelyaccepted inMemberStates,some
subjects continuetoberegarded asmoresuitableforboysandothers
asmoresuitable forgirls.Incertain MemberStates,moreover ,
different textbooks areusedforboysandgirls,thusboysandgirls
tend,bytheireducation ,tobetype-cast forcertaintypesofwork
totheexclusion ofothertypes.Theinfluence oftheschoolin
thisrespecttendstobereinforced byotherinherited prejudices .
Thecombination oftheinfluences ofhomeandschooloftenlimits
therangeofchoicesopentogirlswhentheyleaveschool.Their
generally restricted rangeofqualifications andtheirexpectations
influence thevocational guidance giventothem,oftenbyadvisers
whohavebeenconditioned bysimilarly restricted backgrounds ,
3.iForinstance ,notmanyyoungwomenreceivetraininginelectronics ,
althoughtheindustry employsahighpercentage ofunskilled women.
Thedistortion oftheproportions ofqualified andunqualified women
intheindustryisduetothefactthatgirlstendtomakelessu^e
thanboysofopportunities forfurthereducation ar.di,raiuir.;>
••»/♦••

Similarly ,inmostMemberStates,thepercentage ofgirlsatthe
variouslevelsofqualification isaboutthesameinthosetypes
ofjobmainlydonebywomen,whereasinthesectorswithahigher
proportion ofmen,theproportion ofwomendropsasthelevelof
qualification increases .Thus,eveniftheytakethesamecourses
asmen,womentendtodropoutearlierwithalowerlevelofqua­
lification confining themtoalowerlevelofjob.
4.Arecentsurveyoftheworkingconditions ofemployed women
inthesixoriginal MemberStates(l)showedthelackoffurther
trainingfacilities provided byfirmsforthewomentheyemploy.
Only12$intheNetherlands ,38$inGermany,and39$inPrance
hadreceived vocational training sincetheybeganworkandthe
training referredtowasinmanycasesquitebrief,oriented more
towardstheemployees thantheworkers ,andofferedtoalarge-
proportion ofthosewhohadcompleted someform'ofinitialtraining
beforeentering employment thanthosewithoutsuchtraining.
5.Thisexample showsthataccesstoeducational andtraining
opportunities iscumulative .Thosewhohavehadthemarelikely
torecognise theneedforfurtheropportunities andtohavethe
initiative toobtainthem.Thosewholackeducation andtraining
finditmoredifficult toobtainthemlaterinlife.
•••/•W«
(l)EiianeVogel-Polsky :Lesconditions d'emploidesfemmes
salariées danslessixEtatsmembres delaCommunauté ,

-16-
o.Forthisreason,energetic actionbyMemberStatesisneeded
toaccelerate theimprovement ofeducational opportunities for
womensoastobringthemintolinewiththedemandforequal
opportunities .Moreover ,specialeffortsneedtobemadeinorder
toenablethosewomenwhofindthelackintheirownearlier
education andtrainingtobeahandicap tocatchupwiththe
educational opportunities nowavailable totherisinggenerations .
Specialcoursesshouldbeprovided toenablewomentotakeexaminations
suchas,forexample,thosenormally takenattheendofsecondary
education ,whichtheymayneedtogainadmission tovocational training
courses.Entrance requiEmentsforsuchcoursesformaturestudents
shouldalsobereviewed inordertoallowexperience tocompensate
fprtheabsenceofqualifications toanappropriate extent.
7.Wherethisisnotdonealready ,accountmustalsobetakenof
theparticular needsofwomeninthedesignandorganization of
adultvocational training.Forexample,wherewomenwishtotrain
forjobsfromwhichtheyhavetraditionally beenexcluded ,there
maywellbepsychological orsocialdifficulties whichwomenneed
tobehelpedtoovercome.Again,familyresponsibilities often
conflict withthewaysinwhichtraining coursesareorganized :
centreareremoteandcoursesareheldattimeswhenwomencannot
attend.Unlesstraining opportunities takeaccountofthese
difficulties ,womenareinpractice excluded fromthemandfind-
themselves insituations wheretheycanneitherimprovenor
refreshtheirknowledge orskills»
\
8,Thedemandforopportunities toimprovetheirlevelsof
competence andskillwouldnodoubtbegreaterifvocational
guidance waremorereadilyavailable towomen,particularly at
theendofthechild-bearing phaseoftheirlives.Inthis
areaparticularly thereisroomfordevelopr "Tit.
*••/•••

-17-
Cuidelmes forAction
«M ■–i >–i––xm–
Q.Inordertoachievetheseendsitisnecessaiy :
(a)topromoteequalopportunity forboysandgirlsinthegeneral
educational system ;toconsiderthepossibilities of
extending effective co~oduoation :thesemattersshouldbe
examined inthecontext oftheEducation Committee ofthe
CouncilofMinisters ;
(b)toensurenon-discriminatory educational guidancearrange­
mentsoffering awiderangeofchoices,andtoencourage the
awareness amongteachers oftheneedforsuchguidance ;
(c)todevelopvocational information andguidancearrangement s
foryoungpeopleandadultsofbothsexessoastoenlarge
therangeoftheirchoicesbeyongthetraditional types;
andtowarnthemagainstentryintocareerswithnoscope
fordevelopment 5
(d)toensurethatvocational guidanceservicesformenandwomen
re-entering thelabourmarketafteraninterruption ,operate
onthebasisofindividual interest andpotential without
regardtosexormaritalstatus ;
•••/•••

-18-
(e)toensure equality ofaccess formenandwomen tooccupational
apprenticeship andtraining schemes aswell astoallinsti­
tutions offurther andhigher education ;
(f)toensure that menandwomen have access tosimilar financial and
material help intheir studies particularly asregards accomo -
dation ,andtomake grants toboth sexes onthe same terms and
inrelation tothesame range ofcourses ;
(g)toenable women tousetraining institutions byproviding
these atpoints ofconvenient access ;andbythedevelop­
ment ofdaycare facilities ;
(h)toprovide special opportunities foreducation andtraining
forthsewomen who require them inorder toenable them to
re-enter employment after aperiod ofinterruption .
••9/,*••
/

-19-
CHAPTBR IV
WOHKING CONDITIONS
1.Theconcernforanimprovement intheworkingconditions of
•workersingeneralbenefits ."bothmenandwomen.TheResolution of
theCouncilofMinisters of21January1974includestheimprovement
ofworkingconditions amongthestatedobjectives andcallsfor
priority actionwhichwillbenefitbothmenandvojcen*Such
actionincludes theraisingofstandards ofhealthandsafety jthe
gradualelimination ofphysical andpsychological stressatwork;
aswellastheprovision ofwideropportunities forvocational
training.Theseaspectsofworkingconditions areofparticular
relevance tothemanyworkersemployed onrepetitive ,monotonous or
over-specialized tasks,whetheronassemblylinesorinclerical
positions ;Insuchsectorsitisespecially important toeliminate
excessive ratesofworkandtointroduce rotasystems.Inthis
contexttheConference onWorkOrganisation ,Technological Development
andtheMotivation oftheIndividual ,organized bytheCommission in
November 1974»issignificant .Theseaspectsofworkingconditions ,
whichapplytobothmenandwomen,willbethesubjectofaseparate
Commission Memorandum ,Inadditiontherearecertainaspectswhich
affectwomeninparticular andwhichrequirespecialattentionif
equality oftreatment istobeachieved.
TheAdiustment ofWorking Hours
2,Forseveralyearsnownewformsoftheorganization ofworking
timehavetendedtoexpandinsomesettorsoftheeconomy(suchas
banks,insurance ,publicservice,andotheroffices).
Flexible workinghours,unlikefixedhoursofwork,allow
workerstodecideforthemselves whentobeginandwhentofinish

-20-
day.Suchresearch ontheresultsashasbeenpublished (l)suggests
thatmoreflexible arrangements benefitboththeworkerandthe
organisation .
Althoughitisforcedonsomeemployers andemployees by
external problems suchasthedifficulties oftraveltoandfrom
*
workinlargeconurbations ,itisalsobeingdeveloped voluntarily
inresponsetothewishforgreaterautonomyfortheindividual
worker.Although therational -organization ofmanyworksituations
maywellpreventawidemeasureofflexibility ofworkinghours,
everyeffortshouldbemadetoensuretheadoption ofthemore
advancedpractices inthisfieldbylargesectionsofindustry and
commerce.Thiswouldgofartohelp .workingmothersandfathers
toreconcile theirfamilyresponsibilities withtheirwork,
3.Thedangersanddisabilities inherentinpart-time workare
wellknown.Itisoftenassociated withjobsonthemarginsof
thelabourmarketwhichofferfewopportunitives ofadvancement ,
aswellaswiththeexploitation ofworkers.Itmaycarrywithit
legaldisabilities affecting entitlement tosocialsecuritybenefits.
Itmayalsoconstitute aformofdisguised unemployment .Itis
therefore understandable thatingeneraltradaunionsarereluctant to
countenance part-time work,particularly attimes ,ofeconomicdiffi­
cultysuchasthepresent.
'' i.:
4.Thereisnodoubt,however,thatinsomeMemberStatesthe
flexiblecharacter ofpart–timeworkmeetstheneedsandwishesof
manypeople,thelargemajorityofthemwomen.IntheNetherlands
itisestimatedthat50$oftheworkingmarriedwomenofover24
yearsofageworklessthan25hoursaweek.IntheUnitedKingdom,
some2,750,000womenofthe9million whomakeuptheworking
•••/»«•
(l)-Flexibility inWorkingLife,OCDE1973.
–NewPatternofWorkingTime,OCDE1973.
–"Lerythmejournalier del'hommeetl'organisation del'horairevariable",Prof.Dr.RolfHackstein ,Doc,V/988/73,

-21-
population worklessthan30hoursperweek.InGermany,1,640,000
womenareemployedpart-time andthedemandforsuchworkgreatly'exceed 1yi
thesupply.InDenmark354»000 womenoutofover1millionworking
womenareemployed onapart-time basis.Unfortunately giventhepresent
roleofthewomeninthefamily,opportunities forpart-time worktend
tobeprovided almostexclusively forwomen.Itisdesirable thatthis
typeofWorkshouldalsobemadeavailable tomensothatthecareof
thefamily -mayincreasingly besharedbymenandwomen.
5.Inviewofthisdemanditisimportant ...tliatpart-time ,works.hould
providethesameguarantees asregardssocialsecurity asfull-time
workandthatitshouldnotbeusedtoobtaincheaplabour.Itshould
bemadeavailable tomenaswellastowomen(forexamplestudents )
according topersonal circumstances .
Educational leave
6.••Theneedforeducational leaveforwomenworkersisparticularly
important whenwomenneedtocompensate fortheinadequacy oftheir
earlyeducation andtraining .Nodoubtwomenwillbenefitfromgenerally
applicable provisions inthoseMemberStateswheretheyexist.It:is
howeverappropriate ,inviewofthetendency ofwomentounderrate their
chancesof'promotion ,tolayspecialemphasis ontheopportunities"of
womenworkerstoobtain 'educational ,leave.TheCommission isatpresent
undertaking astudyofprovision for'educational leaveinthe'Member
States'Sndwillconsider whatactioniriightusefully betakenatCommunity
levelwhencurrentpractices areknown.It-alsoenvisages thatthe
^European CentreforVocational Training shouldhaveparticular regard
'to"theneedsof'working womeninthisrespect.- '
*o•/••«
*•»'Sk-V\■*

22-
Representation ofWomenWorkersinNegotiations aboutWorkingConditions
7.'Theimprovement ofworkingconditions isamatterofcooperation
betweenworkersandtheirunionsandmanagement ineachindividual
plant.•Itisimportant thatwomenworkersshouldbeeffectively ,
represented intheleadership oftradeunionsandinworkscouncils
inthoseundertakings whichemploysignificant numbersofwomen.It
isdesirable thatmanagements andtradeunionsshouldmakeeveryeffort
toencourage morewomentoparticipate insuchleadership .
Theprotection .cfWomenatWork
8.;Theareaofworkoutsidethehomeinwhichitisthoughtneces­
sarytomaintainprotective provisions expressly forwomenhascon­
tractedinrecentyears*Beyondtherecognized needforprotection
duringpregnancy ,womenatworknowseeklittle,ifany,differential
protection fromthatregarded asappropriate formen.Protection ,
fromexcessive physicalexertion (asinheavyengineering )isno
longerneededbecauseoftheautomation oftheproduction process.
Although manydangerous jobs(suchasmining)remain,somewomen -now
regardsuchjobsaswellwithintheirrangeofinterest "andwould
resenttheattempttoprotectthemfromdoingthem.Andequality ,
between menandwomenmeansthatinmostMemberStates womenare-
expectedtotakenight-shifts inthesamewayasmenwhenthecir­
cumstances oftheindustry demandthis.
9.Themostimportant measuretoprotectmaternity ,whichistaken
bythemajorityofMemberStates,istheprovision ofpaidmaternity
leaveandtheguarantee ofcontinued employment ,whichenablewomento
returntotheirjobswhentheyfeelabletoleavetheirchildren.The
problemhereisnot,therefore ,so.muchtheabsence ,ofleaveasthe
effectoftakingmaternity leaveonawoman'sprospects ofpromotion.
Itisimportant ,asalreadyemphasized :(l)thatassociated discriminatory
practices shouldbeeliminated .Thisrequirestherecognition by
employers oftheimportance ofensuringequalpromotion prospectsfor
menandwomen.
___
(l)SeeChapterII,para.9*

-23-
OuidelinéS-'fbr 'Actidn-' *- – ■
10.Thefollowing actioniscalledfortoachievetheseobjectives
(a)carefulattention tomeasuresensuringthesafetyofworkers
ingeneralandofpregnant womeninparticular ,aswellas
specialprotective arrangements forthelatter;<.
(b)thedevelopment ofmoreflexible .workinghours ,totakeaccount
ofthefamilyresponsibilities ofworkers »"
(c)themoreextensive provision ofeducational leaveinorderto-
ensurethat,inparticular ,working womenwithfamilyres­
ponsibilities areenabledtotakeadvantage ofsuchleave;.
"(d)thoactiveparticipation ofwomenintheworkandtheleader-:
-.':shipofprofessional andtradeunionorganisations ;.>•
• vr ' ' • •' •'' -■I
(e)theprohibition ofdismissal ongroundsof'pregnancy andthe',.
•paymentoffullsalariesorwagesduringthewholeperiodof'■;>
''legally approved maternity leave
(f)theprovision forpart-time workers ,ofopportunities forpro­
motioninaccordance withtheirqualifications andexperience ,
of"fringe"benefits andsocialsecuritybenefits onaprop®-*–
'tionalbasis." ' ■ -..r-

*•24»
h *
CHAPTER V
CHILD CARE FACILITIES AMD SUPPORT FOR WORKERS
WITH FAMILY RESPOFS ABILITIES' '
1. Theincrease oftheproportion ofmarried women inthefemale
working population inrecent years hasaccentuated theshortage inall
Member States ofarrangements for the' care ofchildren andother de­
pendents while women are atwork .This shortage isareal obstacle
toequality ofopportunity formenandwomen asregards employment and
working conditions .InitsResolution of21January 1974 »theCouncil
recognised theimportance ofthis problem byadding toitsResolution
areference totheneed "toreconcile thefamily responsibilities ofall
those concerned with their professional aspirations ".
2. Itishere that theworking mother faces themost difficult
dilemma .Shehastodecide whether tolook after herbaby herself for
thecrucial .early part ofitslife ortoArrange forsomeone else :,to
doso»Ifshedecides tostay away from work forlonger than thebare
length ofhermaternity leave ,sherisks notonly theloss ofhercon­
tinuity ofemployment ,butalso herincome . -Ifsheseeks some other
care forher babjjr shefinds that thedemand forplaces inpublicly
approved daynurseries inallMember States exceeds thesupply (see
Table IIIoftheAnnex ).Unless aplace isavailable ,shemayresort
tomakeshift arrangements which areunsatisfactory . . ..»- "v
3< 'Thefollowing particulars illustrate theshortage ofdaynursery
places# Itisestimated that there are800.000 children under 3years
inGermany and79*000 inBelgium ,whose mothers goouttowork ;andthat
thenumber ofplaces indaynurseries are20,428 inGermany and13.568
inBelgium .InDenmark there areplaces inpublic daynurseries for
only 7%ofthechildren intherelevant agegroups .InFrance ,itwas
estimated in1968 that there wasonedaynursery places forevery 10
children under 3years whose mothers areatcork ,andtheposition has
notchanged much since .IntheUnited Kingdom ,the27»104places in
public .daynurseries areopen primarily tocases ofsocial need ,,i.e *.
children ofunmarried mothers ,widows ,divorcees .InItaly thelawof
6December 1971 isanexample ofapositive development .Itestablished
afiveyear plan forthebuilding of3»800 daynurseries ofwhich 1.400
were completed within twoyears .

-25
4«Thereistherefore aneedinallMemberStatesformoresupport
ofworkingmothersofyoungchildren ,particularly forthoseinthe
lowerincomegroups.Morepublicly-approved daynurseries inadequate
premises andwithqualified staffshouldbeprovided .Itisalso
desirable tointroduce measurestoguarantee jobsecurity andprovi­
sionofadecuate temporary financial support ,foraworkingparent
allowing himorhertodecidewhethertohaveaninfantcaredforat
homeorsenttoadaynursery.
5.InmostMemberStatestheprovision ofnurseryschoolsor
classesforchildren between 2or3yearsandtheageofcompulsory
schoolattendance at5or6yearsisdistinctly better.Inseveral
countries nurserysbhoolsarepartof.thegeneraleducational system.
TableIVintheAnnexsetsout,insofarasfiguresare,available ,
theproportion .ofchildrenineachagegroupwhoattend.Therere­
main,however,gapstobefilled. .
6.Evenwhenchildrenareofcompulsory schoolage,problemsre­
main,particularly inMemberStateswhereschoolattendance iscon­
finedtothemorning.Responsibility forthesupervision ofchildren
outofschoolhoursisnot,ingeneral ,takenbytheschools.Thus
arrangements havetobemadebythefamilyandtendtodevolveupon
themother.Attemptstocombineworkoutsidethehomewiththecare
ofchildreninevitably leadtodifficulty .Thephenomenon ofthe
"latch-key "childleftuncaredforbetweentheendofschoolhours
andthereturnoftheparentsfromworkoftenleadstomuchunhappiness .
Similarproblemsariseduringtheschoolholidays.
7.Whentheneedsofsocietyatlarge,aswellastheinclinations
ofagrowingproportion ofwomen,leadtotheirengagement inthe
economiclifeofthecountry,provision forthecareoftheyounger
generation hastobecomethesubjectofpublicintervention .

-26-
Although MemberStatesappearto"beincreasingly awareofthisneed,
thedivisionofresponsibility "betweenthefamilyandtheCommunity
atlargeforthecareofchildrenvariesfromonecountrytoanother.
IngenerallittleattemptappearstohavebeenmadeinmostMember
Statestodevelopabroadpolicyuponwhichlong-term publicinter­
ventioninthisfieldcouldbebased.Asaresult,attimes,of
economicstresspublicinvestment byMemberStatesforthecareof
children runstheriskofbeingreducedwithoutregardtotheconse­
quencesforwomeninemployment .
ι
8,Inconsidering supiportforworkerswithfamilycommitments ,
thecareofillandelderlymembersofthefamilymust_notbefor­
gotten.Thegrowthofoccupational andgeographical mobility has
'brokenuptheextended familywithin :whichthecareofelderlymembers
could-beabsorbed.Responsibility isnowoftencarriedhjorlyon
relative ,andsinglewomenandmenareconcerned asmuchasmarried
women.Astheexpectation oflifeextends,sotheresponsibilities
oftheworkinggeneration fortheirelderlyrelatives it;likelyto
increase.Policiesfortheassumption bythecommunity ofashareof
theirresponsibility areasimportant asthesharingofresponsibility
forthechildren .
Guidelnnes forAction
9.Takinginto.accounttheobjectives laiddownbytheCouncil
andthesituation described abovethefollowing actionshouldbe
undertaken :
(a)Theplanneddevelopment ofdaynurseiyandotherpnllicly
approvedchildcarefacilities forchildrenunderthreeyears,as
wellasofarrangements topermitthecareofsuchchildrenat
home5
(b)Theextension inbothurbanandruralareasof:
•«*/•••

-27-
(i)nursery-schools forchildren "belowtheageofcompulsory
schoolattendance ,and,
(ii),facilities forthesupervision of,andfortheprovision of
creative "leisure-time activities forchildren ofschool
ageoutsidenormalschoolhours#
(c)Theprovision ,whenthisisnotmadeatpresent,ofpaidleave
foreitherthemotherorthefatherinthecaseofchild's
illness ;
s''t.
(d)theprovision offacilities andarrangements under(a)and(t>)
shouldalsofoimpartofregional development plans,particularly
thoseenvisaging housingareasrelatedtonewindustries ;
(e)MemberStatesshouldextendthearrangements forthesupportfor
workerswithillorelderlydependants .
•••/•••

CHAPTER VI
SOCIAL SECURITY
1.Despitetheprogress madeinsomeMemberStatesthesocial
security systemsofmostcountriesstillcontainprovisions which
discriminate againstworking women.
Retircment Pensions
2.Inmostcountries theamountoftheretirement pensionis
proportional tothenumberofyearsofservicecompleted andtothe
incomereceived.Manywomenaretherefore atadisadvantage compared
withmenbothbecausetheyhavetointerrupt theircareersforfamily
reasonsandbecauseofthelesswellpaidnatureoftheworkthey
oftendo.Thisindirect foiroofdiscrimination penalises thosewomen
whocommitasubstantial periodoftheirlivestotheraisingofa
family.Stepsshouldbetakentopreserve awoman'spensionrights
whilesheislookingafterherchild(possibly uptotheageof3
years),andduringperiodswhenshehastolookafteranelderlyor
disabled relative .
3.Theretirement ageforwomenisgenerally lowerthanthatof
men.Asaresultofthiswomencannotbenefitfromanyextraannuities
whichmaybepayableonthelastyearsofemployment .
4.Discrimination stillexistsinseveralcountries asregards
complementary systemsofsocialsecurity ,inparticular concerning
retirement pensions.Incertaincaseswomenareeithernotinoluded
inthecomplementary systemsorreceivepensions lowerthanthose
ofmen.
Reversionarypensions
5.Withregardtoreversionary pensions ,itisgenerally accepted
thatthewidowreceivesthepartofherhusband'spensiontowhich
sheisentitled ,butthereservedoesnotapply.Itisaformof

-29-
discrimination torefuseawidowerhiswife'sreversionary pension
towhichshehascontributed thoughout herworkinglife.
Sickness benefits
6.Thepaymentofsocialbenefitsisgenerally linkedtothe
conceptof"theheadofthefamily".Thisgivesrisetodifferential
treatment betweenmaleandfemaleworkers.Thus,thebenefits payable
toamaninthecaseofillnessordisablement mayincreaseinproporw
tiontothenumberofdependants whereasthisisnotthecasefor
womenwithdependants .Thereisalsodiscriminatory treatment of
womenwithregardtosicknessbenefits intheformofunequal
benefits duetodifferences inpay.
Unemployment benefits
7.Unemployment benefits arealsoasourceofdiscrimination ma
numberofrespects.Theconceptofthe"headofthefamily"maybe
takenintoconsideration whencalculating amountandduration of
thesebenefits.Thusherealsounemployment benefitsforthemother
ofthefamilymaybelowerthanthoseforthefathersincethelatter
receives asupplement a±ybenefitfordependant persons.
8.Undercertainschemes,amarried womanwhoisredundant does
notqualifyforunemployment benefitsifherhusbandisworking.This
meansthatthehousehold incomeisreducedbytheamountofbenefit
whichwouldhavebeenpaidtothewife.
9.Thefactthatthelevelofbenefitsisearningsrelatedmeans
thedependants ofaworking womanmaysufferasaresultofherlower
earnings .
Theproblemoftheself–employed women
10.Thesocialsecurityprovisions fortheselfemployedareoften
lesscomprehensive thanthoseforemployedpersons.Insomecountries
manywomenpursueanactivity whichisclassified asself-employment ,
suchaspiecework doneathome.
f••/••*

30••
Quidelmes forAction
11.Theseexamples arenotexhaustive .Theyillustrate theextent
towhichsocialsecurity systemslag'behind ,thesocio-economic •
realities.Itistherefore proposedthatMemberStatesshouldtake
measuresinthereformoftheirsocialsecurity systemstoassure
equaltreatment ofmenandwomeninrespectofsocialsecurity
benefits andtoeliminatethatdariving fromtheorientation of
theirsocialsecurity systemsexclusively towardsthemanasthe
breadwinner andheadofthehousehold .

-31-
CHAPTER VII
ACTION TOBEtTNDERTAKEN ATCOICUHITY LEVEL
lsThepreceding chapterssetouttheguidelines suggested tothe
MemberStatesandtheSocialPartners withaviewtoachieving real
progress.FortheirparttheCommunity institutions cangivesubstan­
tialsupporttotheimplementation oftheseguidelines# Without
prejudice toinitiatives whichitmaytakeinfuture,theCommission ,
foritspart,envisages actioninthreeareasin1975*Itispresent­
ingadraftDirective (annexedtothisMemorandum )totheCouncil
settingoutlegalaspectsofequality oftreatment atwork.Italso
proposestodeveloptheuseoftheESPforinnovatory anddemonstrative
projects inthefieldofwomen'semployment .Itproposes ,thirdly ,to 1
takeactiontoimproveinformation aboutwomen'sworkinorderto
contribute tothechanging ofattitudes inregardtothis.
Theproposed Directive
2.Theproposed Directive aimsatestablishing theprinciple of
equality oftreatment formenandwomenin'.thefollotifing areas:
accesstoemployment ,education ,vocational guidance andtraining ,
opportunities ofpromotion ,workingconditions including social
security.TheCommission isawarethatstatutory meansbythemselves
canachievetheobjective onlyinpart.Theymustbesupported by
otheractionaimedatthechanging oftraditional attitude and
received ideas.
TheUseoftheEuropean SocialFond
3#Thepromotion ofemployment forwomenisincluded amongthe
objectives oftheSocialFund.Article 5oftheCouncildecision
of1stFebruary 1971includes amongthecategories ofworkers who
^maybenefitfromgrants,womenabove35a-swellasyoungworkersof
.bothsexesbelowtheageof25a
•••/♦••

-32-
However,norequestaimingspecifically atthepromotion of
women'semployment hasbeensubmitted sincetheestablishment of
thenewSocialFundin1972.Thefactthatsomewomenmayhave
benefitted fromitsactionshasarisenfromstandardtypesofinter­
ventions (regionaldevelopment ,reconversion ,etc.)wherethelevelof
women'sparticipation ismarkedly lowerthantheiroverallplacein
theworkingpopulation .Thissituation isillustrated bytheanalysis
showninChapterIIIofthedifficulties ofwomeninobtaining voca­
tionaltraining ,andmeritsspecialattention .
4.Theabsenceofrequests aimedatpromoting women'semployment is
duetoseveralreasons.Firstly,training programmes aimedspecifi­
callyatfurthering women'semployment arerareinMemberStates,In
addition ,severalprojects (aimingnotablyatthereintegration of
womenover35inthelabourmarket)ofwhichtheCommission isaware,
havenotmetthecriterialaiddownforeligibility offundsunder
Article5(l)*Thelackofpublicity givenbythepromoters ,the
complexity oftheRegulations ,andtheinherent researchdifficulties
areotherfactorswhichgotowardsexplainthesituation .
5.TheCommission urgently requests MemberStatestointensify the
searchforrequests aimedatpromoting women'semployment withinthe
framework ofthepresentArticle 5»andforpilot-projects inArticle 7*
TheCommission considers that,withalittlemoreeffort,thepresent
possibilities couldbeusedmorewidely :
(a)Insectorswheretechnical progressleadstomajormodifications ,
someofwhichmayincludeanappreciable proportion ofwomenworkers ;
whileotherscouldprobablyuseagreaterproportion ofwomenworkers.
(b)Inadditionpossibilities appeartoexistinregionscharacterized
byaprolonged declineintheirdominantindustry.Insuchregions
thelackofworkforwomenmayaggravate theeconomic andsocial
problems andprovokesometimes permanent demographic consequences .
•••/•••
(l)ByvirtueofArticle 1!1oftherulesapplyingtoapplications ,
.N°2396/71oftheCouncilof8November 1971»eligibleoperations
mustrelateeithertoregionscharacterized byunder-development or
byadeclineintheirprincipal industries ,ortosectorswhere
technical progresshasleadtolargemodifications oftheworkforce,
orprofessional skillsandcrafts,orfinallytogroupsoffirmsforces
tocease,toreduceortochangetheiractivities .

(c)Finally,asregardspilot-schemes ,anddespitethelimitation of
30workers whomay"benefit,themountingofinnovatory opera­
tionsappearsfeasible safirstschemeofthistypeistinder
preparation#
Itisofcoursetheresponsibility ofnationalorregional
administrations ,firmsandotherqualified promoters todevelopsuch
projects,
6.TheCommission isalsoexamining thepossibility ofrecognising
forgrantundertheprocedure ofArticle 4demonstration projects
onalimitedscaleaimedatthepromotion ofwomen'semployment .
SuchuseoftheFundwouldconcentrate onactivities ofagenuinely
developmental orinnovative character aimedatovercoming specific
obstacles totheemployment ofwomen.Ongoingactivities wouldnot
qualifyforaid.
7.Suchactionsshouldbeinspired bytheconsideration setout
inthispaper,andparticularly onitsChapter onVocational
Training .Community assistence islikelytobedestinedfor
integrated programmes wheretheprovisions oftraining opportunities
forwomenarecomplemented bythedissemination ofinformation
aboutsuchopportunities andbyappropriate vocational guidance
(including thetrainingofspecialist personnelforthesepurposes),
byschemesofindustrial acclimatisation ,bytheprovision ofchild
carefacilities andthetransformation ofjobs.Suchintegrated
projects arealreadybeingdeveloped onaexperimental basisin
Northern Europe.Community actionwillfinditsplaceinsupporting
theactionofpromoters inMemberStatesbyencouraging their
operations andthedissemination ofresults.,....

-34
8,Clearlytheconditions ofeligibility forgrantshouldput
theaccentontheestablishment ofadequateliaisonbetweenthe
variouselementsofsuchintegrated programmes .
Information
9»Actionsintheinformation fieldareatleastasimportant as
thoseinthefiscalandlegislative fields.Throughout thispaper
thescaleofthediscrimination against womenisbroughtout.On
theonehandmanywomen,oftenincluding theleastfavoured ,are
poorlyinformed oftheirrights,thepossibilities opentothemto
exercise them,themeansopentothfem,forexample,toimproveorto
widentheirtraining ,ortoreconcile moreeffectively theirfamily
andworkactivities .Ontheotherhand,theselatteractivities are
oftendetermined byinherited attitudes ,byanunder-estimate of
vocational talentsandbyalackofinformation aboutsuccessful
exemplary schemes. .,
10.Directinformation forwomenontheirrightsandthemeans
available toachievethematbothlocalandnationallevelsraises,
ofcourse,thequestion ofactiontobetakenatthese-,levels.The
fightagainstinherited prejudices andthedissemination of.the
resultsofexemplary operations couldreceivesignificant support
fromCommunity action.Thisactioncouldconsistofthecollection
anddissemination ofinformation relatingtonotonlytheoverall
situation ofwomenworkingintheCommunity ,but.alsotothesucoess
enjoyedbywomeninjobstraditionally doneby.men,or.byprogrammes
toovercomethepractical obstacles facingwomenseekingaccessto
work.Thegreatnumberofrequests received bytheservicesofthe
Commission fromvariousnational organisations witnesstothereal
needwhichexistsinthisfield.

-35,-
11.TheCommission recognises "theimportance ofthisproblem.
ItproposestotakemeasuresatCommunity leveltohelptomeet
theneedforinformation .
OtherActivities
12.TheCouncildecided on17December 1974tosetupaEuropean
CentreforVocational Training andaEuropean Foundation forthe
Improvement ofLivirgandWorkingConditions .Questions relating
tothevocational training ofwomenar.dtheirworkingconditions
shouldbe,intheCommission 'sopinion,oneofthefirsttasks
ofthsseorganisations withintheframework oftheirrespective
responsibilities .

-36-
Conclusions
13.Theachievement ofequalityforwomenatworkimpliesa
sustained effort.Actioninthisfieldshould "beaimedtoimplement
actionunderArticle119oftheTreatyofRometopromoteequal
treatment ofmenandwomenatworkitshouldalsohelptoreassure
thosewomenwhoareworriedbytheemployment difficulties now
appearing .Itisparticularly important that1975»beingInterna­
tionalWoman'sYear,shouldbeayearofsubstantial progress
withintheCommunity .
14.Forthisyear,theCommission considers thattheCommunity
contribution shouldbeconcentrated mainlyonthefollowing areas:
(a)theadoptionandimplementation oftheproposedDirective on
equalpay;
(b)thedevelopment ofSocialFundintervention benefitting women
underArticle 5of"theFundRegulations ;
(c)theexamination ofthepossibility ofrecognizing forgrant
underArticle 4oftheSocialFundRegulations inorderto
encourage integrated development schemesatlocallevelfor
thepromotion ofwomen'semployment ;
1?.TheCommission willalso,onthebasisofstudieswhichare
atpresentunderway,giveparticular encouragement totheassembly ,
anddiffusion ofinformation aboutinitiatives takeninthe
MemberStatestoovercomethepractical barriers whichprevent
accessbywomentojobs.
16.Inaddition ,theCommission willcontinue ,inconsultation
withthesocialpartners andMemberStates,toreviewthesituation
concerning women'semployment .Inthelightoftheseresultsit
willconsiderthepossibility ofmakingproposals andspecificre­
commendations inthevariousareascoveredbythisMemorandum .

TABLEI ANNEX
WOMENINTHELABOUR FORCE
1966AND1970-1973
IActivaPopulation
IP 1'■–
!Year !
! i1Belgium
; !Denmark; 1 :France Germany ¡
i I
1 1Ireland !!Italy |
| !I
jLuxembourg !t l• I
^Netherlands jUnitedKingdom !
1 ;!
Total(thousands )19661
3703I
i
i19964I26481I Ii
ί1110|19221140 4459 !25759
1970 3823 2332 ,207502631o ;111019123144 I46^1;25303
1971 38622366 I20958 i26410 1112h90641W if681 24712
1972 3875 I2378 !21155<26372 1108;18837 I151 4678 24816
1973 39142404 |21403 i
i26475 [1108
!1897815^ 4681 25129
jWomen(thousands )1966 1169 I1
I7340 9745 289 ![5228 (35)(1045)lI
t9210
1970 1265 i918 I7467 I9638 II(289)523233 !I(1140) 9206
1971 1294 943 7618 9677 '28852363'+ (118*0 8879
1972 1319 973 |7766 !9719 (238)5110 (35)(1216) 9006
1973 !
i1350 j992 7907 I9763 (288):
i!5267 1
i i36 93^7
Womenasapercen­
tageofthetotal
activepopulation1966
1970
1971
1972
197331.6
33-1
33.5
34.0
34.539.4
39.9
40.9
41.21
36.8!
36.0!
36.3;
36.?!
36.9)36.8
36.6
36.6;
36.9
36.926.0 1
(26.0)
25.9
(26.0)
(26.0)27.2
27.4
27.5
27.1
!27.8(25.2)
25.8
25.8
26.6
25.9(23.4)
(24.6)
(25.3)
(25.9)35-8
36.4
35.9
36.3
37.2Married women I19o6(52.1/
50.d60.3!
j
62.οί
I
i
(rsapercentageorfemalepopula­tion.1970
1971
1972 !
1973 !63.5
64.2
65.861.6
65«6
•
i)50.1
57.6
58.6
•
59.6
<8.9
13.5
13*550.5
51.1
53.3
»
51.437.5
40.6
^5.5
43.*5
|
i(28.3)
(28.6)
(28.9)
•
I56,6
61.9
62.4
.67.*2
J
S^urce;Statistical OfficeoftheEuropean Communities -
Iote:Figuresinbrackets :estimations .
•:datanonavailable .

•TABLEla
Womeninthevarious Economic Sectors
t
II
Germany ■ 'IFrance iItalyI
iîîetherlaiidsj
I
Eelgium Luxembourg !UnitedKïngdcm
i1000<!1000
I1A^O
wws. ;f i1C00f 1000 !S1000i*I1000|ef
/-
Agriculture ,forestry , \
fishery j?!î
F!
I243
27100,0
27,0!397
59100,0
14,3856
lOA|-'-–t i100,0
21,276
(5)100,0
6,515
(2)100,0
13,31)t
100,0
*336
72i100,0
;2i,4
i
i
Energyandwater |
•I
l
iI
iT
|F^oJjy
544100,0
i7,9!
\
:
;36i
îIC'0,0
!12,7201
-11100,0
5,573
5100,0
6,479
(3)!100,0
3,8Cl100,0
i
• j70S
76j100,0
I10.7
Extraction andprocessing
ofnon-energy-producing
minerals andderivsdpro­
ducts,chemical industry1
IrP
1~
1
iF
i"=,00
I–j>-
I344100,0
21,61.029
215100,0
20,9322
49I
100,'0
15,2161
15100,0 ;
9,3254
29100,0
11,425
(1>100,0 j
3,8|1.117
235
•i
\\100,0
i21,0
Metalmanufacture 5mechani­
calelectrical andinstru-j
mentengineering - Im;;4.309
1.037100,0
24,12.272
508100,0
22,41.722
278100,0
16,1404 .
35100,0
8,7348
62100,0
17,85
1100,0 3.341 s
752 !100,0
22,8
Othermanufacturing indus­
triesT
F2.976
1.326100,0
44,62.188
Ï.002100,0
45,32.S64
•967100,0
33,8493
106100,0
21,5481
186100,0
38,711
2100,0
20j02.809 (
1.201 !100,0
42,8
Building andcivil
engineering I
!
iT
F
1
"'-I2.011
125100,0
6,2I.492
77100,0
5,21.370
19
I100,0
ï,4450
14100,0
3,1
I I222
7
i100,0
3,1
\11 i100,0 .1.347
9°
i
1 "100,0
6,7
Source:Statistical officeoftheEuropean Communities
Note:Figuresinbrackets :estimations .–––
.:datanonavàîlable(continue^)

TABLEIa(continued)
Germany
1000mrFrance ;aly
1000 10C0\tNetherlands Belfiium
1000i-1000Luxembourg "Unitedïingdom
1C00 % 1000 «
Distributive trades,hotel
restaurants andcafes,
'repairs
Transport andcommunica­
tions
Financing ,insux-ance etc.
Publicadministration
Otherservices
TOTALT
P
T
F
T
F
T
F
T
F
T
F3-235
1.701
1.435
2?2
1.085
552
2.029
533
2.243
1.484
:i.963
7.594100,0
52,6
100,0
13,3
100,0
50,9
100,0
27,8
100,0
66,2
100,0
34,62.50S
1.116100,0
42,3
100,0545 993:100,0j54;
299i30,1|177
222 .100,0
1.>.
1.C01
493
I.407
574
2.554
1.7S5
16.245
6.069100,0
49.3
100,0
40,8
100,0
foo
100,0
37.467
OO
:54
L027
1893°^,-
100,0
18,4
100,0
18,42551C0.0
J>^1./
100,0
24[9.4
1.812 !100,0
I
924;54,3
\
12.292 -100,0
3.101125,2257
81
252
.41
646
354
3.660
866100,0
31,5
100,0
16,3
100,0
54,8
100,0
23,7329
135
230
21
150
57
257
53
456
278
2.821
831100,0
41,0
100,0
9.1
100,0
">0.AIv
100,0
20,6
100,0
61,0
100,0
29,5
Source:Statistical OfficeoftheEuropean Communities
Note:Figuresinbrackets :estimations
.:datanonavailable17
8
7
3
11
3
13
8
109
•27100,0I
3.232!
;100,0
r\501.762 \53,7
E
100,0I
1.413 I100,0
27G19,1
100,0 1.223i
|100,0
t
42,9 56346,4
100,0 1.975 :100,0
25,0 780t39,5
100,0 3.068 !
I100,0
(
61,5 !2.118 !
i!*5,0
!
100,020.991100,0
24,88.07438,5

TABLEII
UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGWOMEN:ANNUAL' AVERAGE 1966AND1970-73. ANNEX
■Year îBelgium ;Denmark France ;Germany Ireland' i : rItaly [Luxembourg rNetherlands !UnitedKingdom i
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
i0
I
I
1Registered un-j1966emrtoyment |1970
TotcJ. |1971
!1972
!1973
Registered
female un-
eiuployment
Víornenasa
percentage of
totalun-
eniployinent1966
1970
1971
1972
1973
1966
1970
1971
1972
197361.5
71.3
70.9
86.8
91.7
18.2
28.9
28.5
35-0
43.1
29
40
40
ko
47.6
-5
.2
•3
.018.3
23-9
30.0
29-9
20.1
2.1
4.3
5.3
5.2
4-3
11.5
18.0
17.7
17.4
21.4147.1
262.1
338.2
383.5
394.1
55.3
116.3
150.0
175.8
200.5
37.6
44.4
44.4
45.8
50.9161.1
148.8
185.1
246.4
273-5
44.5
55-9
84.3
105.8
123.6
27.6
37.6
45.5
■42.9
45.252.2
65.3
62.4
72.0
66.6
8.6
11.0
12.2
13-2
12.0
16.5
16.8
19.6
18.3
18.0115.3
887.6
038.1
047.8
004.942.9
44.5
62.0
107.9
109.9
5-0
8.1
11.5
17.4
21.5
11.7
18.2
18.5
16.1
19.6362.0
618.0
799.1
885.5
630.3
79-7
95.1
128.1
149.9
107.4
22.0
15.4
16.0
16.9
17.0
Source;Tabledrawnuponthebasisofavailable datapublished bythecompetentnationalOffices.

ANNTC
TABLE III
PAY-NURSERIE S
(Publicly approved day-nurseries forchildren of
0to3years ofage )
;Country Date Number ofestablishments Number ofplaces
|Belgium
i
t9July 197^ •150 creches |
■295 "sections prégardien -;
nés"(1)
: l_7668 f
i
5900 |
I
jDenmark
i
!
i
I31March 1974 -1; – 1■■ 1 1 . i
1^8^public crèches i
1208 crèches inprivate 1
ihomes (2)16829
i
i
2k821 !
i
France
i
!
I1January 1974 797 crèches
:23^crèches inprivate
ihomes (2)36585
14h?9
United -
Ki.igdom,31March 1973 ;563local authority day !
.nurseries !
i70crèches runbyfirips
l ■ o);27104
2198
Gei'many 1December 19731 ■ ^ -1–
'653 ' !
! ,
' J
_I •20428
■'Ireland(Dctober 1973
1!20 ' . 1
j : L1250
approx :.r
JItaly
i,1973t
i2c40 ' ' ' ;
, \\
918co j
. !
iLuxemijourp'I
i197^
i18 !
i
_J :400
Netherltmds1
197^
i'113
iI
k500 i
approx . !
Notes : •
(1)For children older than 18months .
(2)"Creches inprivate homes "arenetworks ofchild-minders based intheir
ownhomes ,sometimes attached toaday-nursery orasocial centre ,
sometimes working forlocal authorities .The child-minders are
officially approved and supervised byqualified children 'snurses .
(3)England andWales only .

A1INEX
TABLE IV-
NTJRSERY-SCÏÏOOLS
(Forchildren between 2/3years aridthebeginning ofthecompulsory school
COUNTKY HUK3ER 0F
CHILD3EN
ENROLLEDAGE OF
ADMISSION%OFTRETOTAL j
NUKBER i
' i
Belgium
(1973 )243 429 3-6 3-6 years\
I
60# |
»
I
Denmark
(197*0 ••89208
37635 (1)'2(or3)-7 3-6 years,
30^ j
J
Germany
(1972 )1319 854 3-6 3-4 -
4-5
5-6
6years
years
years
years17-4# i
38.8^ j
53.9^
53-4%' (2) i
France
(1973 )
l.2359 702 2-6 2-4
4-5
5-6years
years
yeârs50%
70#
90# '
i
Ireland (3) - .- .' " - j
: L
Italy
(1973 )1567280 3-6 3-6 yearsy
5C$ |
: -J.
Luxembourg
(1973 )8254 4-6 4-6 years 85$
Netherlands
(1973 )521 793 4-6 4-5
5-6years
years90%
■100#
I
United Kingdorr
England and
Wales
(1973 )46693 (4)
77263 (5)
260309 (6)3-5 3-4.years 27% - j
I
t
I
L:- f
'1)Inpre-school classes ,forchildren aged 6-7-
(2)6year oldchildren before entering primary school . ••
(3)InIreland ,thedata about nursery-schools arenotavailable .
Even though school attendance iscompulsory from theageof6,
itisestimated ,that in1972 about 50#ofchildren aged 4-5and
9C/£ofthose between 5a^d6years v/ereattending primary school .
(4)Full time .
(5)Par-time . '
(6)Inprimary schools .

Proposai fora
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
ontheimplementation oftheprinciple ofequality
oftreatment ofmenandwomenasregardsaccessto
employment ,vocational training ,promotion and
workingconditions

EXPLANATOHY "MEMORANDUM
InitsResolution of21January1974onaSocialAction
Programme ,theCounciloftheEuropean Communities expressed the
political willtoadoptduringafirststagecoveringtheperiod
from1974"to1976measuresnecessary toachievecertainobjectives ,
including thatoftheattainment offullandbetteremployment in
theCommunity .Amongthepriority actionstobetakentoachieve
thisobjective ,theCouncilselected thoseaimed .at"achieving
equal.itybetween menandwomenasregardsaccesstoemployment
andvocational training andpromotion andasregardsworking
conditions ,including pay".
PromthewordingoftheaboveResolution ,theCouncil
considered thatequalpayisonlyonefactorinachieving
equality between menandwomeninemployment .Inviewofthe
factthatequalpay,referredtoinArticle119oftheEEC
Treaty,formsthesubjectofabindinginstrument intheformof
aDirective ontheapproximation ofthelegislation oftheMember
Statesrelating totheimplementation ofthisprinciple ,itis
desirable toadoptaparallel instrument ontheotherelements
ofequality between menandwomenreferredtobytheCouncil,
i.e.,accesstoemployment ,vocational training ,promotion and
workingconditions .
AlthoughtheMemberStateshaveratifiedcertainundertakings
bothatthenational andinternational levelontheprinciple of
equality between menandwomen,datacollected bytheCommission
showthatdespite someprogress ,certainworkersarestillbeing
discriminated

against,eitherunderthelaworinfact,onthebasisofsex,marital
orfamilystatusasregardsaccesstoemployment ,vocational training
andemployment .Itistherefore necessary toadoptanappropriate
legalinstrument inordertoeliminate suchdiscrimination ..The
viewissupported bytheadhocGrouponWomen'sWorkandtheJoint
GroupofSocialPartners.
Themeasures proposed inthisDirective dealonlywithcertain
essential aspectsofdiscrimination ,whicharethedirectresponsibility
ofthepublicauthorities .Inordertobefullyeffective ,theyneed
tobereinforced bymoreextensive measures oriented towardsthe
implementation oftheprinciple ofequality.Thesearereferredto
intheMemorandum ontheachievement ofequality between menand
womenatwork.
Article 1ofthisDirective isaimedatdefining thescopeof
theinstrument andidentifying theareaswhichitcovers,namely
accesstoemployment ,vocational training ,promotion andworking
conditions .
Equality oftreatment inrespectofaccesstoemployment
involves theelimination ofdiscrimination arising fromanylegal
provisions whichpreventaccessofwomentoallformsofemployment ,
eitherasregardsthetypeofactivitythattheywishtoexercise ,
orasregardstheposition towhichtheirqualifications entitle
them(Article 2).Atpresent,althoughtherangeofjobsforvroraen
isgradually increasing ,certainjobsremainclosedtowomendueto
eitherconvention orlegislation .Theserestrictions mayarise
fromthedesiretoprotect womenbylegislation ,whichisnolonger
altogether justifiable .Thereare.alsodiscriminatory provisions
basedonmaritalstatuswhichpreventtherecruitment ofmarried
women.Otherprovisions such'asamaximumagelimitforrecru.itmen:t
putaadisadvantage womenseekingemployment laterinlife.

Finally,individual contracts ofemployment frequently contain
discriminatory clausesleading,inparticular ,tothegradingof
womenatalowerlevelthantheirqualifications warrant.Vlithout
questioning thegeneralfreedomofbothsidesofindustrytonego­
tiatecontracts ,it.isclearthatanyprovision ofacontractor
agreement whichisatvariance withtheprinciple ofequalityof
treatment mustherendered void.
Asregardsequality ofaccesstovocational training ,the
Directive aimsateliminating suchdiscrimination against womenas
persists ineducation ,vocational guidance andinitialandadvanced
vocational training (Article3).Furthermore ,thedistinction made
betweengirlsandboysbothingeneralandtechnical education and
vocational training systemsoftenleadstogirlshavingadifferent
educational programme andalowerlevelofqualification .Equal
opportunity inemployment isdependent onequalopportunity in
training.Thisinpractice involves comparable generaleducation
forbothsexes,withcomparable educational andvocational guidance
andequalopportunity inaccesstoinitialandadvanced vocational
training andretraining .
Asregardspromotion ,thefactthataworkerisfemaleand
consequently eithermarriedorlikelytobe,withfamilyresponsibi
lities,weighsagainsther,independently ofherownqualities ,
Equality oftreatment consistsinensuringthatadvancement within
thecareerstructure isbasedonqualification ,abilityandcompe­
tenceonthejob,experience andanyotherobjective criteria
connected withthepostinquestion (Article4)«
Topursuetheaimofequalityinemployment ,theDirective
aimstoeliminate differences intreatment whichexistinworking
conditions .Itisnoteworthy tomentionsackingn eInpractice
undertakings indifficulty haveatendencytolayo*?ri*er "'v
women.

Ontheotherhand,certaindiscrimination inSocialSecurityfetters
theimplementation ofeconomics andsocialequality "betweenthetwo
sexes.Thesediscriminations areto"befoundinsickness and
familybenefits (thesearegenerally "boundupwiththeconceptof
"headofhousehold ,!)»unemployment benefits (oftenrelatedto
maritalstatus),andretirement pensionsprovidedbybothgeneral
andsupplementary schemeswhichdonotprovideexactlythesamsStermsfor
menandforwomen(Article5)»
Sincethereisnolawwithoutsanction ,thisDirective provides
persons whoconsider themselves prejudiced withthepossibility of
legalrecoursetoenforcetheirrighttoequaltreatment (Article6).
Sincefearofdismissal isgenerally oneofthemajorobstacles
toindividual action,itisnecessary topreventsuchdismissal or
anyotherseriousprejudicial -actsuchasdown-grading oranyother
coercivemeasureduetosuchaction(Article 7)»
Lastly,Article8providesforthedissemination ofinformation
onwomen'srights,sincevarioussurveyshaveshownthatwomenare
oftenbadlyorinsufficiently informedinthisrespect.Information
willbeprovided onthesituations inadequately coveredbythe
me?-.sures proposedwithinthe'framework oftheMemorandum onachieving
equality between menandwomenatwork.
TheotherArticles containthegeneralclausesfoundin-all
Directives .

Draft
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic
Community ,andinparticular Article 235 *
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Having regard totheOpinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,
Having regard totheOpinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ;
Whereas theCouncil ,initsResolution of21January 1974 (l)ona
Social Action Programme ,laid down that oneofthepriority actions
tobeundertaken was "toachieve equality between menandwomen as
regards access toemployment andvocational training andadvancement
and asregards working conditions ,including pay";
Whereas ,asregards pays ,theCouncil adopted on..•••a Directive
ontheapproximation ofthe laws' oftheMember States onimplementing
theprinciple ofequal payformenandwomen referred toinArticle
119oftheTreaty ofRome ,andwhereas theoutcome oftheabove-
mentioned Council Resolution isthat equal pay isonly apart of
theobjective tobeachieved ,which isequality oftreatment between
menandwomen ;
Whereas women should therefore begiven legal protection equivalent
tothat available tothem inrespect ofpay ,asregards access to
employment ,vocational training andpromotion andworking conditions
•••/0•4
(1)OJn°C1311 ,12.2.1974

Whereasthereisdiscrimination against womenatthelevelof
freedomofchoiceofjob,accesstoemployment andpromotion ,
whichisdue,inparticular ,tothelack'orinadequacy oftheir
qualifications ,andwhereaspresentinequalities shouldbeelimi­
natedbyapproximating thelegislations ofMemberStates.
Whereassocialsecurity benefits aredetermined onthebasisof
criteria whichvaryaccording tothesexoftheworker ;
Whereas ,moreover ,theabove-mentioned provisions shouldbe
improved andharmonized toenabletheincreasing numberoffemale
workerstobenefitfromequality intheprogress oftheliving
andworkingconditions ofthelabourforce,withintheframework
ofbalanced economic andsocialdevelopment intheCommunity ;
HASADOPTED THISDIRECTIVE ï
Article 1
ThisDirective shallapplytotheapproximation oflawn,
regulations andadministrative provisions ofMemberStateswith
theaimofensuring ineachtheimplementation oftheprinciple of
equality oftreatment formenandwomenasregardsaccessto
employment,' vocational training andpromotion andworkingconditions ,
hereinafter referredtoas"theprinciple ofequaltreatment ".■
Forthepurposes ofthisDirective ,"equaltreatment "shall
meantheelimination ofalldiscrimination basedonsex,oron
maritaloffamilystatus,including theadoption ofappropriate
measurestoprovide womenwithequalopportiinity inemployment ,
vocational training andpromotion andworkingconditions .

Article 2:
Theimplementation oftheprinciple ofequaltreatment in
•employment entailsaccesstoalljobs,inallsectorsandbranches
ofeconomicactivity ,atalllevelsappropriate toaperson's
qualifications .Forthispurpose,theMemberStatesshalltake
measures to'l
t
(a)abolishprovisions arisingfromlaws,regulations oradministra­
tiveprovisions atvariance withtheprinciple ofequality of
treatment ; ..
(b)annul,provisions atvariancewiththeprinciple ofequalityof
treatment included incollective agreements orindividual
contracts ofemployment j
(c)amendthoselaws,regulations andagreements originally drawn
upwithaviewtotheprotection ofworkerswhicharenolonger
justified owingtotechnical ,progress andwhichconstitute an
obstacletoequalityofaccesstoemployment .
Article 3
Theimplementation oftheprinciple ofequaltreatment in„
regardtovocational trainingrequiresaccesstoalllevelsof*
generaleducation ,initialand'advanced vocational training and-
retraining ,inaccordance withtheirabilities andaspirations ,
whethersucheducation andtrainingisprovided ininstitutions
oronthejobs.'
\
Inordertoenablewomentoobtainthequalifications assuring
themequalopportunities ofemployment ,MemberStatesshalltake
stepstoensurethatequalstandards andlevelofgeneraland
technical education andvocational guidance ,initialandadvanced
vocational training andretraining ,shallbeavailable without
discrimination basedonsex,oronmaritalorfamilystatus.

Article 4
Withaviewtoimplementing theprinciple ofequaltreatment
inregardtopromotion ,MemberStatesshalltakestepstoensurethat
theconditions ofpromotion withinthecareerstructure aredeter­
minedandappliedenthebasisofequaltreatment inaccordance with
individual qualifications andexperience ,withoutregardtosex,
maritalorfamilystatus.
Art1c]e5
Inordertoenablewomentobenefitfromequaltreatment
withoutdiscrimination basedonsex,ormaritalorfamilystatus,
inrespectofworkingconditions ,including di^mis^rjsandsocial
security provisions ,theMemberStatesshalltakemeasures to:
(a)abolishlaws,regulations andadministrative provisions at
variance ,intheseareas,tviththeprinciple ofequaltreatment ;
(b)annulsuchprovisions ofcollective agreements orindividual
contracts ofemployment asareatvariance withtheprinciple
ofequality ;
(c)amendthoselaws,regulations andagreements originally drawnup
withaviewtotheprotection ofworkerssuchasarenolonger
justified ,owingtotechnical progress andwhichconstitute a
discrimination inworkingconditions .
:cle6
MemberStatesshallintroduce intotheirnational legalsystems
suchmeasures asarenecessary toenableallpersons whoconsider
themselves aggrieved inthenonapplication oftheprinciple ofequal
treatment topursuetheirclaimsbyjudicialprocessafterpossible
recoursetoothercompetent authorities .

Article 7
TheMemberStatesshalltakemeasurestoprotectworkersagainst
dismissaloranyotherseriouswrongconsequent uponacomplaint by
himorhertotheemployeroruponthebringing byhimorherofan
actionatlawtoenforcecompliance withtheprinciple ofequal
treatment *
Artide 8
MemberStatesshalltakemeasurestoensurethattheprovisions
adoptedpursuanttothisDirective ,andthosealreadyinforcein
thisrespectshallbebroughttothoattention ofthepersonsconcerned
byallappropriate means,forexampleattheplaceofwork.
TheMemberStatesshallputintoforcealllaws,regulations and
administrative provisions neededinordertocomplywiththisDirective
withinoneyearfromthenotification ofthisDirective andshall
informtheCommission thereof.
TheMemberStatesshallalsonotifytheCommission ofalllaws,
regulations andadministrative provisions adoptedinthefield
governed bythisDirective .
Article 10
Withintwoyearsfromthenotification ofthisDirective ,the
MemberStatesshallforwardtotheCommission allnecessary information
toenablethelattertoreporttotheCouncilontheimplementation
ofthisDirective .
Article 11
ThisDirective isaddressed totheMemberStates.