Europe at a Crossroads: Harmonization, Liberalization, and the Gender of Work Time

Work time regimes are constituted according to the degree of flexibility in work hours and gender equity in work schedules and economic roles. The fifteen member states of the European Union (EU) are categorized as (1) male breadwinner work time regimes, (2) liberal flexibilization work time regimes, (3) solidaristic gender equity work time regimes, and (4) high road flexibilization work time regimes. A number of cases are labeled as transitional flexibilization. In general, countries with shorter standard work weeks and limited overtime rank highest on gender equity indicators. However, there is evidence of convergence toward liberal flexibilization, hastened by recent EU policy initiatives.