S U M M A R Y B R I E F
May 2018 http://oe.cd/last-mile-gender-nordic
The Nordic countries are leaders on gender
equality
The Nordic approach to family- and
gender-equality policy
Key measures of gender gaps in employment, Nordic and selected other OECD countries, 2016 or latest available year Top performer Moderate performer Bottom performer Gender gap in the labour force participation rate, 15-64 year-olds (p.p.) Gender gap in the employment rate, 15-64 year-olds (p.p.) Gender gap in the employment rate, low education, 25-64 year-olds (p.p.) Gender gap in the employment rate, high education, 25-64 year-olds (p.p.) Gender gap in usual weekly working hours, all ages (p.p.) Female share of managers, all ages (%) Gender gap in median earnings for full-time employees, all ages (%) Denmark 6.3 6.2 17.9 4.9 4.2 27.3 5.8 Finland 3.0 2.0 16.7 4.0 4.0 33.8 18.1 Iceland 4.8 4.8 11.3 5.5 8.4 33.3 9.9 Norway 4.3 3.6 11.3 1.4 4.8 37.8 7.1 Sweden 3.6 3.0 13.7 1.5 3.6 39.4 13.4 Canada 7.6 6.1 19.7 6.7 5.6 35.5 18.2 France 7.9 6.4 13.9 5.8 5.6 32.9 9.9 Germany 9.1 8.0 16.4 6.7 8.7 29.3 15.5 Italy 20.0 18.3 30.8 10.0 7.3 27.7 5.6 Japan 18.2 17.2 .. 21.1 .. 13.0 25.7 United Kingdom 10.3 9.4 20.6 8.0 9.0 36.0 16.8 United States 11.5 10.8 25.2 9.8 4.0 43.4 18.1 OECD average 12.2 11.4 20.4 8.7 5.9 32.3 14.1 OECD std. dev. 8.0 7.8 9.0 5.5 2.5 8.0 7.2
The Nordic model has helped deliver large
gains in gender equality in employment over
the past half-century
Female employment rate, 15-64 year-olds, earliest available year and latest available year (2016), Nordic and selected other OECD member countries 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Denmark* (1967 & 2016) Finland (1970 & 2016) Iceland* (1970 & 2016) Norway (1972 & 2016) Sweden (1963 & 2016) Canada* (1971 & 2016) France* (1962 & 2016) Germany (1991 & 2016) Italy (1970 & 2016) Japan (1970 & 2015) United Kingdom* (1960 & United States (1970 & % Earliest available year (varies) Latest available year (2016)
Gains in women’s employment can account for
a large portion of economic growth in the
Nordic countries
Average annual rate of growth in GDP per capita and disaggregation of growth into its primary components, longest available series, Nordic and selected other OECD member countries
-0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Denmark (1967-2016) Finland (1970-2016) Iceland (1970-2016) Norway (mainland) (1972-2016) Sweden (1963-2016) Canada (1971-2016) France (1962-2016) Germany (1991-2016) Italy (1970-2016) Japan (1970-2015) United Kingdom (1960-2016) United States (1970-2016) GDP per capita, average annual growth rate (%) Labour productivity (p.p.)
Working age share of population (p.p.) Men's employment (p.p.) Women's employment (p.p.)
Future gains from closing remaining gender
participation gaps are limited, but potential
gains from closing Nordic working hours gaps
are larger
The last mile might just be the longest
Estimated gains relative to the baseline in the projected average annual rate of growth in GDP per capita over the period 2013-2040, different gender gap scenarios (closing gender gaps in labour force participation and working hours), percentage points, Nordic and selected other OECD
member countries 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden Canada France Germany Italy United Kingdom
United States Percentage point
difference
Gender gap in labour force participation rates fully closed by 2040, gender gap in working hours at baseline Gender gaps in both labour force participation rates and working hours fully closed by 2040
References
Is the Last Mile the Longest? Economic Gains from Gender Equality in Nordic Countries
Is the Last Mile the Longest? Economic Gains from Gender Equality in Nordic Countries
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, commonly known as the Nordic countries, have been leaders in the development of modern family and gender policy, and the explicit promotion of gender equality at home, at work, and in public life. Today, on many measures, they boast some of the most gender-equal labour markets in the OECD.
This report shows that improvements in gender equality have contributed considerably to economic growth in the Nordic countries. Increases in female employment alone are estimated to account for anywhere between roughly 0.05 and 0.40 percentage points to average annual GDP per capita growth – equivalent to 3 to 20% of total GDP per capita growth over the past 50 years or so, depending on the country. The Nordic countries are closer than most to achieving gender equality in the labour market. But the last mile may well prove to be the longest one. To make further progress, a continued assessment of the effectiveness of existing public policies and workplace practices is needed. Only with resolve and a continued focus can Nordic countries ensure that men and women contribute to their economies and societies in gender equal measure.
IsbN 978-92-64-30003-3 81 2018 11 1 P
Consult this publication on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264300040-en.
This work is published on the OECD iLibrary, which gathers all OECD books, periodicals and statistical databases. Visit www.oecd-ilibrary.org for more information.
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