Maternity Leave at EU Level and Its Impact on Gender (In)Equality

PDF
Published: Dec 29, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/hapscpbs.29512
Keywords:
Maternity leave maternity leave policies EU working mothers women gender equality employment fertility
Maria Damaskou
Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
Abstract

Discussions around the issue of maternity leave are timeless and although there has been a great improvement regarding the rights of working mothers, the total policy upgrade remains a challenge. This research focuses on the efforts that have been made at EU level in order for its member states to coordinate their maternity leave policies and establish favorable terms. Furthermore, the impact that maternity leave has on employment rates, gender equality, family roles and generally, on many aspects of people’s lives is highlighted. Last but not least, it should not be neglected that the mistreatment of working women affects the whole of society and not only pregnant women, thus for this reason, this situation should be dealt with through pioneering and revolutionary changes.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Maria Damaskou, Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
References
Daly, M. & Szelewa, D. (2020). Ireland country note. Ιn Koslowski, A., Blum, S., Dobrotić, I., Kaufman, G. and Moss, P. (eds). International Review of Leave Policies and Research. Available at: http://www.leavenetwork.org/lp_and_r_reports/ (Accessed 28/10/2021).
EPRS (2015). Maternity and paternity leave in the EU. European Parliament Research Service. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2015/549004/EPRS_ATA(2015)549004_EN.pdf (Accessed 28/10/2021).
EPRS (2019). Maternity and paternity leave in the EU. European Parliament Research Service. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2019/635586/EPRS_ATA(2019)635586_EN.pdf (Accessed 28/10/21).
EUR-Lex (1992). Council Directive 92/85/EEC. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/85/oj (Accessed 28/10/2021).
European Commission (2015). New start to address the challenges of work-life balance faced by working families. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/smart-regulation/roadmaps/docs/2015_just_012_new_initiative_replacing_maternity_leave_directive_en.pdf (Accessed 28/10/2021).
European Parliament (2015). Directorate-General for internal policies. Policy department c: citizens’ rights and constitutional affairs. Brussels: European Union. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/509999/IPOL_STU(2015)509999_EN.pdf (Accessed 28/10/2021).
European Parliament (2021). 1 NEW BOOST FOR JOBS, GROWTH AND INVESTMENT. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-new-boost-for-jobs-growth-and-investment/file-new-start-for-working-parents (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Eurostat (2021a). Employment and activity by sex and age - annual data. Available at: https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=lfsi_emp_a&lang=en&fbclid=IwAR31M6Zxwtmth938_WuQd0xs9PXlEcGCCXn0mepVP-l8krjQD1lyAXlC3QU (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Eurostat (2021b). Higher employment rate for men with children. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20210809-1 (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Eurostat (2021c). Total fertility rate. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tps00199/settings_1/table?lang=en (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Fallon, K. M., Mazar, A., & Swiss, L. (2017). The development benefits of maternity leave. World Development, 96, 102-118.
Foubert, P. (2017). Child Care Leave 2.0–Suggestions for the improvement of the EU Maternity and Parental Leave Directives from a rights perspective. Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 24(2), 245-263.
Hatzivarnava-Kazassi, E., & Karamessini, M. (2020). Greece country note. Ιn Koslowski, A., Blum, S., Dobrotić, I., Kaufman, G. and Moss, P. (eds). International Review of Leave Policies and Research 2020. Available at: http://www.leavenetwork.org/lp_and_r_reports/ (Accessed 28/10/2021).
ILO (2010). Maternity at work: A review of national legislation. Second edition. Geneva: International Labor Office. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_124442.pdf (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Mandel, H. (2012). Winners and losers: The consequences of welfare state policies for gender wage inequality. European Sociological Review, 28(2), 241-262.
Ray, R. (2008). A detailed look at parental leave policies in 21 OECD countries. Washington, DC: Center for Economic and Policy Research. Available at: https://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/parental-app_2008_09.pdf (Accessed 28/10/2021).
Risse, L. (2006). Does maternity leave encourage higher birth rates?: an analysis of the australian labour force. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 9(4), 343-370.
Shapiro, D., & Mott, F. L. (1994). Long-term employment and earnings of women in relation to employment behavior surrounding the first birth. Journal of Human Resources, 29(2), 248-275.