Resumen de Work and children in Spain: challenges and opportunities for equiality between men and women

Claudia Hupkau, Jenifer Ruiz Valenzuela

• Over the past decades, Spain has seen a striking convergence between women’s and men’s participation in the labour market. However, this convergence has stalled since the early 2010s.We showthatwomenstill fareworse in several important labour market dimensions. Gender inequalities are further aggravated among people with children.

  Women with children under 16 are much more likely to be unemployed, work parttime or on temporary contracts than menwith children of the same age.We showthat it is unlikely that preferences alone can account for these gaps. A review of the evidence shows that family policies, such as paternity leave expansions, financial incentives in the form of tax credits for working mothers and subsidised or free childcare for very young children, could help reduce the motherhood penalty. However, such policies are likely to be more effective if combined with advances in breaking up traditional gender roles.