Gender Equality and Public Policy Measuring Progress in Europe

Despite formal UN and European Commission commitments to improve gender imbalances, progress towards gender equality in wealth and pay has progressed at a discouragingly slow pace in recent decades. European countries have been more proactive in their support for corrective policies, such as family leave and gender quotas for corporate boards, yet measuring the effectiveness of these policies has proven difficult. This book offers a close comparative analysis of gender-targeted policies in Europe, providing an in-depth overview of how public policy is shaping gender equality, and how the presence of women in the economy and decision-making positions is itself shaping public policy. Paola Profeta bases her analysis on new data and an innovative interdisciplinary perspective for understanding the relationship between gender, equality and public policy, and their final impact on the European economy and society, with lessons that resonate beyond Europe.

1. Introduction; 2. The scenario: gender gaps in education, the labour market and politics; 3. From public policy to gender equality: theory and evidence; 4. How women affect public policy; 5. How women affect firms' outcomes; 6. Global challenges, gender and public policy; 7. Conclusions.

Paola Profeta is Professor of Public Economics at Bocconi University, Italy.