Understanding Female Employment Rates in the EU Labour Market

Isabel Vieira (), Lurdes Babo () and Cristina Torres ()
Additional contact information
Isabel Vieira: CEOS.PP, ISCAP, Polytechnic of Porto
Lurdes Babo: CEOS.PP, ISCAP, Polytechnic of Porto
Cristina Torres: CEOS.PP, ISCAP, Polytechnic of Porto

Chapter Chapter 37 in Human Resource Development for Sustainability and Social Responsibility, 2026, pp 549-558 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study examines the key determinants of female employment rates across the European Union (EU), using 2022 Eurostat indicators aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Although many European governments have been implementing various policies to reduce gender disparities in the world of work, inequalities still persist in terms of equal participation in the labour market, political representation and income distribution. A quantitative approach is adopted, whereby six socio-economic variables are analysed through multiple linear regression in order to identify significant predictors of female employment. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis is employed to group EU countries based on shared labour market characteristics. Findings reveal that higher NEET rates and caregiving responsibilities among women are significantly associated with lower female employment, while male employment rates and unadjusted gender pay gaps show a positive correlation. Political representation by women shows a weak inverse relationship with female employment. Cluster analysis identified three distinct country profiles, highlighting structural divergences in labour market conditions and gender roles. This study contributes to the literature on gender inequality by providing a multi-dimensional empirical assessment across EU member states. Results underscore the need for combined strategies that promote work-life balance, support young women’s labour market integration, and address the structural roots of gender disparities.

Keywords: Gender equality; Economic growth; Quantitative analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-032-09683-8_37

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032096838

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-09683-8_37

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().