Gender Equality in the European Employment Strategy

This chapter presents a critical analysis of the European Employment Strategy (EES) and considers the evolution of its formulation since its launch in 1997 to verify whether the pursuit of the quantitative target in terms of an increase in the female employment rate has been matched by the pursuit of gender equality. It investigates whether the emphasis on gender equality and equal opportunities between women and men in the labor market that was quite visible in the early formulation of the EES reflects a concern with the pursuit of gender equality as a goal in itself, or if gender equality in the labor market is conceived of as a tool necessary for the achievement of the overall employment targets agreed upon at the EU level.