Employment
Portugal has the lowest GDP per capita in all of Western Europe. During the period from 2005-2007 it was ranked the 6th poorest country in the European Union.
Portugal has one of the longest work weeks in all of Europe. Although the legal work week cannot exceed 40 hours per week, it is not unusual for a person to exceed 60 hours a week.
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Full-Time Culture
Portugal has a culture of full-time work. It is common for both members of the family to work full time, because of the low salary levels. Portugal’s economic situation forces women and mothers to enter the workforce. Nearly two out of three women are involved with paid work. Part-time work is seen as a disadvantaged labor market position and is usually accompanied with low wages and low quality.It is also difficult to find part-time work in Portugal. While on average, 18.2% of indivduals in the E.U. have part-time work, only 11.9% of workeThere is very little support from the state for the work-life relationship and therefore it is hard for employees to take time off or work part-time.|
Country |
Employment Rates |
|
Portugal |
67.5% |
|
Germany |
65.4% |
|
Spain |
63.3% |
|
France |
63.1% |
Employment Rates in 2005
Women in the Workforce
Portugal boasts one of the highest proportions of women in the workforce within the EU with nearly 62% of women involved in paid work. Although the number of women in the workforce has been consistently rising, the prestige of their jobs has not. There are very few women that hold executive positions and there is still a significant pay gap between men and women. It is common for women to hold less than 10% of the seats in Portugal’s parliament, and there are nearly no female cabinet members or judges.
|
Country |
Percent of Women in Workforce |
|
EU25 |
56.3 |
|
Portugal |
61.7 |
|
Spain |
51.2 |
|
Germany |
59.6 |
|
Italy |
45.3 |
Employment Rates of Women 15-64 years, 2005 (%)
References:
AICEP Portugal Global. 2008. “Portugal Country Profile.” Portugal Ministry of Economy and
Innovation. http://www.investinportugal.pt/CmsAPI/AICEP
Cousins, Christine. 2000. "Women and Employment in Southern Europe: The Implications of
Recent Policy and Labour Market Directions." South European Society & Politics 5(1):97-
122.
Lyonette, Clare, Rosemary Crompton and Karin Wall. 2007. "Gender, Occupational Class and
Work-Life Conflict." Community, Work & Family 10(3):283-308
