The IMF argues that a greater presence of women in the European labor market would increase its growth – Yahoo Finance Spain

MADRID, 7 (EUROPA PRESS)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indicated that a greater presence of women in the labor market Europe would support economic growth, affected by the crisis and the slow growth of employment and productivity, which stressed the importance of policies that facilitate inclusion, especially in senior positions.

in a report published a day before the celebration of women’s day, the institution chaired by Christine Lagarde has shown that, although in recent decades there has been a significant increase in the number of working women, gender gaps remain installed in the European labor market.

in particular, the IMF has indicated that in 2014, for every 100 male workers were 89 women in the labor market, while “only 12% of senior charges the main 620 European listed companies were held by women in 2015 “.

in this regard, the institution has warned that most European countries still have” a long way “to achieve equality gender in leadership positions, despite the imposition of quotas in some countries like Germany or Norway.

on the other hand, the institution explained that the evolution of women in the European labor market differs according countries, with Spain and Luxembourg showing an increase to “steady” pace over the past three decades, while progress in Italy has been “much slower”.

this situation is compounded by the fact many women workers are part-time, bringing the gender gap in the number of hours worked, which in Europe has remained fairly stable over the last decade.

MORE DIRECTIVES wOMEN BETTER pERFORMANCE oF cOMPANIES.

“Having more women in the workforce contributes to greater diversity in the upper levels of the corporate ladder and better performance of companies”, said the institution the conclusion of his study.

in this sense, the institution said that “there is a strong positive link between gender diversity in senior business and corporate financial performance,” which is more pronounced in sectors where women constitute a higher proportion of the labor force.

“to the extent that greater participation of women in senior management improves profitability, this could also support the investment and business productivity, mitigating the slowdown in potential growth in Europe “, said the IMF.

in addition, the institution has referred to the current aging population and slower growth in productivity in the region, which results in greater difficulty to “accelerate productivity growth”

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