Work-Life Balance in (Central and Eastern) Europe from the Perspective of Women‘s Health Findings from the European Working Conditions Survey Štěpánka

Work-Life Balance in (Central and Eastern) Europe from the

Perspective of Women‘s Health

Findings from the European Working Conditions Survey

Štěpánka LehmannResearch Institute for Labour and Social

Affairs (RILSA)

Outline of the presentation

• IntroductionoResearch questionsoMethodology

• Results of the analysisoWork-life balance in different

European regionsoRelationship of WLB and healthoPredictors of health status

• Conclusions

Introduction• Mass entrance of women to the labour market since the

second half of the 20th century has raised the issue of work-life balance (WLB)o Women remained responsible for daily house chores and careo ‘Second shift’ = potential risk for women‘s health

• Since 1980s many countries and companies have developed various measures to improve work-life balance of womeno Family-related policieso Flexibility measures (part-time jobs, flexible working hours etc.)

• Considerable differences between countrieso European context – women in Central and Eastern Europe

(CEE) appear to have more difficulties with WLB

Research questions• Is it possible to document differences in work-life

balance between Western European countries and CEE countries based on empirical evidence?o What are these differences?

• Does a poor work-life balance have any impacts on health of individuals?o To what extent?

• Which European countries are the less favourable to the WLB and/or good health of individuals?

• Focus on women (in particular in CEE)

Methodology• European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS)

o The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

o Representative sample of ‘persons in employment’ (employees and self-employed) aged 15+

o Individual levelo Every 5 yearso Fifth wave (2010) – 34 countries: 27 EU countries + NO + 3

candidate countries (HR, MK, TR) + AL, XK, MO

• Typology of countries – cluster analysis• Aspects of WLB, health status etc. in country clusters -

cross tabulation• Evaluation of impact of WLB on the health status –

factor and regression analyses

Country clusters

• CEE countries are not homogenous as for women‘s work-life balanceo ⟹ more adequate to work with more restricted country

groups

• Cluster analysis on the basis of women‘s WLB characteristics in European countries → 6 clusters (3 in Western Europe and 3 in CEE)

• Variables:o Working hours (actual and preferred), time spent commuting,

work on weekend, how working hours fit in with other commitments, time to have the job done

o Time spent caring for children / elderly, with housework, leisure time activities, training or education, voluntary activity etc.

Country clusters

1. Benelux + Denmark + Norwayo BE, NL, LU, DK, NO

2. Anglo-Saxon countries + Finland + Swedeno IE, UK, DE, AT, FI, SE

3. Mediterranean countrieso FR, ES, PT, IT, EL, MT, CY

4. Central-Eastern Europeo CZ, SK, HU, SI, EE, LV

5. Eastern Europeo PL, LT, RO, BG, HR, MK

6. South-Eastern Europeo AL, XK, MO, TR

Women‘s work-life balance in

Europe• Women have generally shorter working hours than

meno They do not work so often at night, in the evening, on

weekends, in their free time, and more than 10 hours a day

• Still, differences among women

1 2 3 40%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Number of Sundays women spend monthly at work

BeNeLux + NO and DK Anglo-Saxon countries + FI and SE Mediterranean countries Central-Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe South-Eastern Europe

Data source: Eurofound: EWCS 2010

Weekly activities by gender

South-Eastern

Eastern

Central-Eastern

Mediterranean

Anglo-Saxon etc.

BeNeLux etc.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Work Commuting Caring for and educating (grand)children

Cooking and housework Caring for elderly/disabled relatives Gardening and repairs

South-Eastern

Eastern

Central-Eastern

Mediterranean

Anglo-Saxon etc.

BeNeLux etc.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Women


Men

Female employment rates in 2010 (population 15+)

BE NL LU DK NO IE UK DE AT FI SE FR ES PT IT EL MT CY CZ SK HU SI LV EE PL LT RO BG HR MK AL MO TR0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Data source: OECD, World Bank (by Bluenomics.com)

EU average


Europe• Women – lower flexibility of working time than men

o Work more often every day the same number of hours, every week the same number of days and hours

o More often fixed working hours, more difficult to take time off during working hours to take care of personal matters

• More often work in shifts• Less often on-call work• Women have less chance to determine their working schedule

o Gender difference the most significant in Central-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Europe

BeNeLux etc. Anglo-Saxon etc. Mediterranean Central-Eastern Eastern South-Eastern0%

20%

40%

60%

80%Working hours arrangement fully determined by

employer

Men WomenData source: Eurofound: EWCS 2010

Women‘s potential to determine their working

schedule


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Set by the company Choice between several fixed schedules

Potential to adapt working hours within limits Working hours determined by the respondent



Europe• However, women evaluate better their potential to

match working hours with other commitments



10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%How working hours of women fit in with their other

commitments

Not at all well Not very well Well Very well

Work-life balance and health status• Men indicate more often than women that their health

and/or safety are at risk because of their worko They actually perform hard labour in difficult working conditions

more often than women

• Women mostly do not think that their work affects their health (neither positively nor negatively)o If they do, then negative impact is reported mainly in Eastern

Europe

BeNeLux etc. Anglo-Saxon etc.

Mediterranean Central-Eastern Eastern South-Eastern0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%How the work affects women‘s health status

Negative impact Positive impact


Work-life balance and health status• However, women‘s subjective evaluation of health status is

worse than that of meno Gender difference the most significant in Central-Eastern Europe and

Eastern Europeo Could indicate impact of poor WLB


BeNeLux etc. Anglo-Saxon etc.


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%Women's subjective evaluation of health status

Bad Fair Good Very good

Health-related problems of women in CEE

countries

• Women from CEE countries suffer more often than other women fromo Headache or eyestraino Overall fatigueo Cardiovascular diseases

BeNeL

ux e

tc.

Anglo

-Sax

on e

tc.

Medite

rrane

an

Centra

l-Eas

tern

East

ern

Sout

h-Ea

ster

n0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

Incidence of cardiovascular diseases

Men

Women


• Women are absent from work for reasons of health problems more often than men

• But also work more often when being sick

• ⟹ Does a poor WLB explain deteriorated health?

• Other characteristics of work to be consideredo e.g. the type of work (profession, sector, physical or

intellectual work,...) physical working conditions, stress level, ergonomic factors etc.

o + factors not related to work (lifestyle, environment,...)

Work-life balance and health status

• Benelux + DK + NOo Professionalso Health care and social work, arts, entertainment and recreation

• Anglo-Saxon countries + FI + SEo Managers, technicians, clerical support, service and sales workerso Financial and insurance activities, administrative activities, health care and social work, arts, entertainment and recreation

• Mediterranean countrieso Clerical support, workers in elementary occupationso Accommodation, food service and other service activities,

professional, scientific and technical activities, public administration and extraterritorial organisations, activities of households

More represented professions in individual

clusters

• Central-Eastern Europeo Technicians, plant and machine operators and assemblerso Manufacturing, transportation and storage

• Eastern Europeo Agricultural workers, craft workers, machine operators and assemblerso Agriculture, mining, manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply, wholesale and retail trade

• South-Eastern Europeo Agricultural workers, craft workers, machine operators and assemblerso Agriculture, manufacturing, real estate activities and other services

More represented professions in individual

clusters

Female working conditions in CEE• Less often direct work with people• Less often intellectual work• Lower incomes

BeNeLux etc. Anglo-Saxon countries etc.


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

´´How is your household able to make ends meet?´´ (women)

With great difficulty With difficulty With some difficulty

Fairly easily Easily Very easily


Factors with negative impact on health status:

1. High stresso working at high speed, to tight deadlines, impossibility to interrupt

work,...

2. Physical worko carrying heavy loads, standing, unskilled labour,...

3. Poor working conditions / environmento noise, high or low temperatures, smoke,...

4. Low frequency of leisure time activities (e.g. sport)5. Long working hours and work in unsocial hours

Time devoted to house chores and care did not show a significant impact on health status of women

Which working conditions have the greatest impact on health?

Conclusions• Worse work-life balance of women in Central and

Eastern Europe (Central-Eastern and Eastern European clusters)

• In the same countries worse health status of women• In CEE – lower level of stress at work• BUT

o More women exercise physical worko Work in poor environmento Less time to leisure activitieso Work long working hours

• ⟹• More negative impact of work on women‘s health in CEE

Thank you for your attention

[email protected]

Data source: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions,

European Working Conditions Survey, 2010. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive (distributor).

mailto:[email protected]

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Work-Life Balance in (Central and Eastern) Europe from the Perspective of Women‘s Health Findings from the European Working Conditions Survey Štěpánka