ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the medium-term impact of austerity policies on gender equality and women’s employment in the UK and Greece. Both countries have experienced a sustained period of austerity policies, though these policies have been driven by very different forces – in Greece, primarily external, and in the UK, primarily internal – and have been implemented by governments of very different political persuasions. The authors explore the medium-term rather than the immediate effects of austerity in the two countries and track the evolution of policies with relevance for gender equality. They are interested in tracking whether short-term reductions in gender gaps have been sustained or widened again, whether labour market reforms, and the greater flexibility associated therewith, are leading to a greater convergence of men’s and women’s employment conditions, and whether reductions in public sector employment and pay are hampering women’s access to stable, protected and more equal jobs. This exploration of demand-side factors is complemented by an exploration of changes at the household and welfare state levels. All these developments in indicators of gender equality are set within the changing political and economic context of the two countries over the past five years.
