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A gender perspectiveon the crisis

Giovanna Vertova

University of Bergamo (Italy)

giovanna.vertova@unibg.it

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Introduction

Why? => abundance of literature

Mainstream and heterodox explanations

Impacts? => less literature (few gender perspective)

Intersection: class + gender

Gender-without-class => missing the point (macho crisis)

Class-without-gender => missing the social reproduction

Framework only for developed countries

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The framework

Material conditions of life = sum of 2 sub-systems:

Production system (PS): wage labour commanded by capital

Social reproduction system (SRS):

- Private: domestic, unpaid, voluntary work

- Public: social public goods, public employment

Patriarchal dimensions: gender norms

- social norms that constrain the choices of men and women, and

their associated social sanctions, encouraging forms of behaviour

that conform to the norms, and discouraging behaviour that does

not (Elson 2010, p. 203)

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4

Before the crisis Gendertransmission of

the crisis

Newsituation

PS

Private SRS

Public SRS

Patriarchaldimensions

Occupational segregation,

Contractual inequality,

Pay inequality

Unpaid work by native women,

Paid work by migrant women

Privatization and commodification,

source of female employment

Gender equity as a social goal

(strong differences among

countries)

Which sectorsare hit most?

Paradox: lots of unpaid

work and few paid work

Which kind of fiscal

policy?

Example: in case of

rare jobs, who should

keep theirs?

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0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Italy Greece Euro-zone Italy Greece Euro-zone Italy Greece Euro-zone

2007 M

2007 F

2008 M

2008 F

2009 M

2009 F

Source: Eurostat

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Source: Eurostat

Gender gap: M rate F rate

-10.0

-5.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

Italy Greece Euro-zone Italy Greece Euro-zone Italy Greece Euro-zone

Employment rate (15-64) Unemployment rate Activity rate (15-64)

2007

2008

2009

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Source: Eurostat

* Includes: disability, sickness/health care, old

age, survivors, family/children, unemployment, housing and social exclusion.

Social protection*, euro per inhabitant

2007 2008

Italy 6,959 7,281

Greece 4,936 5,446

Euro-zone 8,014 8,423

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Source: Eurostat

Pension, euro per inhabitant

2007 2008

Italy 3,180 3,177

Greece 1,980 2,051

Euro-zone 3,162 3,201

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Some conclusions

In the production system (up to now):

A male crisis (M less employed and more unemployed than F)

In the reproduction system:

Fiscal austerity => cut in social services and in public

employment (generally female)

Increase in the burden of domestic work for women

Coming out from the crisis with a the same neoliberal model

=> bad for everyone, but worse for women!

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Thank you!

I dont have a

job. I dont have

money. I wont

have a pension.

You are lucky. The

fiscal cuts wonthave consequences

on you!