Gender disparity within the economic sphere is visible throughout Europe. It manifests in various domains such as job opportunities, workforce engagement, and compensation. A significant factor contributing to this discrepancy is the burden of unpaid tasks. In OECD nations, women typically undertake almost double the amount of unpaid work compared to men on a daily basis.
In 23 European nations, women perform approximately 86% more unpaid labor than men, which is slightly less than double. To put it more specifically, women dedicate 262 minutes daily to unpaid tasks, whereas men spend 141 minutes. This results in a difference of 121 minutes, equivalent to about two hours each day.
Differences in unpaid work between women and men differ significantly across European nations. Which countries have the biggest and smallest disparities? What are the primary causes of this unpaid work? And why is the gap particularly significant in certain countries?
The gap is the smallest in Sweden and the largest in Turkey.
In 23 European nations, the disparity in unpaid work between women and men varies from 29% in Sweden to a significant 349% in Turkey.
In Sweden, women dedicate 220 minutes each day to unpaid tasks, while men spend 171 minutes — a gap of 49 minutes. Additionally, Swedish women have the shortest amount of unpaid work time compared to women in other countries listed.
The Nordic nations lead in narrowing the disparity
Three additional Nordic nations have the smallest unpaid work disparities after Sweden: Denmark (31%), Norway (35%), and Finland (50%).
Following the outlier Turkey, where women perform 3.5 times (349%) more unpaid work than men, the next largest disparities are found in Southern Europe: Portugal (242%), Greece (173%), and Italy (134%). Spain also stands out, ranking seventh with a 98% gap, indicating that women carry out nearly double the amount of unpaid work compared to men.
The OECD’s report on Gender Equality in a Changing World indicates that “unpaid responsibilities can hinder women from participating in the workforce, preventing them from entering the labor market.”
It’s not by chance that Turkey has the lowest labor participation rate in 2024, standing at 37%, as reported by the OECD, compared to the EU average of 53%. Italy comes next with 42%, while Greece is fourth with 45%. These nations also have the largest gender disparities in unpaid work.
Caregiving duties and societal expectations
Dorothea Schmidt-Klau, head of the employment, labor markets, and youth division at the ILO in Geneva, told Euronews Business why Turkey and Italy are leading in Europe for the percentage of individuals who are able to work but not actively looking.
“Other factors, such as caregiving duties and societal expectations, also contribute, particularly in Turkey,” she mentioned.
“Restricted access to inexpensive childcare and eldercare options, combined with societal views on women’s roles, hinder women’s capacity to actively seek employment.” As a result, she stated thefemale participation ratesamong the lowest in OECD nations.
Of the five largest economies in Europe, Italy and Spain have the poorest performance, whereas Germany has the narrowest gap at 61%, followed by France with 66% and the United Kingdom at 78%.
Women spend more than 5 hours on unpaid work in three countries
In Portugal (328 minutes), Italy (306 minutes), and Turkey (305 minutes), women perform over five hours of unpaid work.
This exceeds 3.5 hours even in Sweden, which has the least amount of unpaid work. France is second, with women dedicating 224 minutes to unpaid tasks.
Turkish men contribute the least to unpaid work: only 68 minutes
It’s no surprise that men spend the least amount of time on unpaid tasks in the three countries that have the largest disparities. Turkey stands out, with men spending just 68 minutes per day on unpaid work, followed by Greece at 95 minutes and Portugal at 96 minutes.
Most unpaid labor consists of everyday household tasks.
In every nation, both women and men spend the most time on regular household tasks. In multiple countries, this activity takes up over 70% of daily unpaid hours. Caring for family members and running errands come next, with these three areas making up approximately 90% of all unpaid labor, as reported by the OECD.
For instance, in Portugal, women dedicate 253 out of their 328 daily unpaid minutes to household tasks, representing 77%. This figure decreases to 70% in France and 60% in Denmark.
How to minimize the gender disparity
The OECD emphasizes the impact of “norms and stereotypes” in creating disparities, pointing out that these are acquired from a young age. The report urges nations and the European Commission to implement more robust measures to reduce the gender gap in unpaid tasks. Below are some important suggestions that specifically target the causes maintaining this disparity.
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Encouraging the fair distribution of caregiving and home duties between women and men, by addressing traditional gender roles and expectations (via public awareness initiatives, educational resources, and more).
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Offering separate paid leave benefits to both mothers and fathers.
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Increasing fair access to hybrid and remote work through investments in digital systems and education.
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Supporting cost-effective, available, and top-notch early childhood education and childcare, along with after-school care services.
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Improving pay, quality of work, and standardization in female-dominated caregiving roles, while also promoting the participation of men in care-related occupations.
