Does Local Level Policy Making Hinder Women to Participate in the Labour Market and Support the Gender Inequality?

Eurostat projections reveal that over the next 50 years, population aging is likely to attain unprecedented levels in European Union. In many of the countries, the labour force will decrease. Therefore, maintaining the national social-protection systems, it is essential that the majority of the working age population stay gainfully employed. However, political frameworks ignoring the gender mainstreaming ideas may contrarily discourage women with informal care responsibilities by hindering their possibilities to participate in the labour market. The aim of this presentation is to discuss policy frameworks and local policy makers’ mind-sets supporting (or restraining?) the women with informal care load to participate in the labour market. The presentation will also make insights into women’s own interpretations and examine, what restrains their (re)entrance to the labour market. Presentation is based on theoretical approach of gender mainstreaming that through the European Open Method of Coordination is affecting the national and local policy making. The methodological starting point of the presentation is multi-level governance theory focusing particularly on the local level policymaking. The findings indicate that informal care of older people is not seen as a gender specific problem. Therefore, ignoring the ideas of gender mainstreaming the policy frameworks may hinder women to participate in the labour market and promote social inequality.  The presentation will base on findings from the research project FLOWS funded by the EU 7FP, by drawing data from policy documents, interviews with local level policy makers and women with informal care responsibilities.