ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses key features of women's employment in France and Spain in comparison with the United Kingdom. It outlines the main issues covered by European Union (EU) legislation and other measures relating to equality of opportunity for women in the workplace. The chapter also discusses their application in France and Spain and conclude by attempting to evaluate their impact on women's employment. Job-sharing, which has enabled mothers of young children to remain in the labour force, is virtually unknown in France and Spain. The increase in 'atypical' work, the economic downturn, increased competition and employment crises have exposed them to unemployment, part-time work that is imposed rather than chosen, and reduction in pay brought about by attempts to redistribute work in the name of solidarity. The chapter demonstrates that national legislation in response to the EU initiatives of the last 15 or so years is no more than a first step.
