Gender equality in welfare models of the European Union

Abstract

Gender inequality indices elaborated by international institutions allow to distinguish very evident situations between economies with very different productive structures and levels of development. But, they are less useful when the comparison is made on more homogeneous countries, such as those of the European Union. The Gender Equality Index (GEI) of the EU has been constructed with the intention of knowing in detail the causes of gender inequality in that area and, in this way, implementing policies aimed at reducing it.

This article connects the evolution of this index throughout the period in which until now it has been calculated, 2005-2015, with the range of welfare state models present in the socioeconomic organization of the countries of the EU.