Back to top

More women than men outside the labour force

In 2021 the share of women in the EU (25-54 years old) outside the labour force  who were not seeking employment was much higher than for men (18.5% compared with 8.2%).

Significant differences can be observed in the reasons men and women outside the labour force aged 25-54 have for not seeking employment. The shares of women outside the labour force who did not look for a job due to care responsibilities (5.7%) and other family reasons (2.9%) were significantly higher than those of men.

At national level, women outside the labour force aged 25-54 who did not seek employment due to care responsibilities exceeded 5% in half of the EU countries. The highest share was recorded in Czechia (12.8 %), followed by Romania (11.0%) and Ireland (8.2%). Meanwhile, the lowest shares were recorded in  Denmark (0.9%), Sweden (1.5%) and Slovenia (1.8%). 

Source: 
Eurostat, 22 June 2022