e. The socio-professional rise of women
In the second half of the 20th century, the entrance of women into the formal labour
market assumed massive dimensions as a result of economic tertiarisation and the
decline of employment in the secondary sector.
In a general way, the increase of female participation in the economy translated into an
improvement of the social and family status of women and is associated with the
acquisition of political and civil rights, improvements in access to education, and an
increase in their qualifications.
Approximately two-thirds of new jobs created around the world in the last decades are
filled by women who, as a result, accumulated growing purchasing power - it is
estimated that they are already responsible for 80% of all purchasing decisions - and
enjoy greater academic success than men.
However, in vast areas of the globe, the participation of women in the economy,
society, and politics in equal footing with men, continues to be an illusion. Even in the
most developed countries women earn less than men, are the most affected by
instability and unemployment, and continue to be conspicuously absent from top
positions in politics and in the economy.
A 2009 study on the composition of top executive organs in 599 companies
representative of the largest publicly traded companies in various countries showed
that in the European Union (UE-27) only 3% of presidents and 11% of administration
council or equivalent organ members are female.
There is a similar situation regarding the exercise of political activities, as shown in
Figure 3: with the exception of Northern European countries, the percentage of women
in national parliaments is around 20% and in the Arab countries that percentage even
falls below 10%.