Gender equality in the labour market : a focus on Germany and Malta

Abstract

European Union member states have incorporated gender-equality friendly measures in their domestic and foreign policies; this thesis aims at comparing how far these initiatives have shaped gender equality in the labour market in Germany and Malta while providing an insight into the current situation. The comparison of different determinants with regard to impacts in the two countries - type of employment, educational and occupational segregation, and gender stereotypes in culture, family and household - revealed similar as well as dissimilar findings. Even though both countries incorporated legal policies for gender equality, their effectiveness is not always visible in the labour market. Particularly in high-paying occupations and upper levels of the hierarchy, women’s employment rates are typically scarce; females tend to be more present in lower-level occupations or unpaid house and family responsibilities. The findings elucidate the impression that social changes in the Maltese society, especially with respect to traditionally and culturally established gender stereotypes, need to continue, if equal labour market opportunities for women and men are to be attained. In Germany, an important step towards increased gender equality in the labour market would consist of improved childcare and taxation policies, aiming to increase full-time female employment. Despite different factors influencing the unequal participation of the genders in the labour market, it is a fundamental condition for gender equality in both countries that a more considerable number of men take up family-friendly measures.