Lack of support for motherhood hurting women’s career prospects, despite gains in education and employment, says OECD

Progress has been made in narrowing the gender gap in pay, especially in employment, over the past decade but much remains to be done in many countries. Women pay a high price for motherhood, with steep childcare costs and taxes deterring many from working more, according to a new OECD report.

Women in work: The Norwegian experience

An interview with Sigbjørn Johnsen, Minister of Finance, Norway. High female participation in the workforce has a decisive effect on a country’s performance, as Norway shows.

Public social spending rising in most OECD countries

Public social spending has increased to 22% of GDP on average across the OECD in 2012, up from 19% in 2007. Rising spending-to-GDP ratios are due to a combination of governments increasing expenditure on social supports as unemployment and income support benefits but also because of GDP stagnating or declining in many countries.

Seminar on "Measuring progress towards gender equality: where do we stand?"

The OECD Development Centre is co-organising, with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a seminar on "Measuring progress towards gender equality: where do we stand?" in Stockholm, Sweden.

Related Documents

• Gender events
• OECD work on gender - www.oecd.org/gender

France: Promouvoir la croissance et la cohésion sociale

Ce document présente les principales recommandations de l'OCDE pour la France dans des domaines essentiels tels que la croissance et l’emploi (efficacité des services publics, système financier, innovation, fonctionnement des marchés des produits et du travail, éducation, retraites, réforme fiscale, croissance verte et agriculture) et la justice sociale (santé, logement, famille, jeunesse, intégration).

Social Policies in Israel - Future Directions

In Israel, income inequality has risen substantially over the past three decades, from already high levels. To reverse this trend, policy makers should promote high quality and inclusive education, but also labour-market and social-policy measures.

Tackle gender gap to boost growth, says OECD

Breaking down barriers to gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship would create new sources of economic growth and help make better use of everyone’s skills, according to a new OECD report.

Promoting Social Cohesion in Japan

Given the high debt level, large-scale increases in social spending are not affordable. Instead, Japan needs to focus on the underlying cause of rising equality and poverty through structural reforms that can provide a double dividend by boosting economic growth and social cohesion.

Related Documents

• Policies for a revitalisation of Japan
• Official visit of the Secretary-General to Japan (Tokyo, 23rd - 25th April 2012)

OECD launches new report on measuring well-being

A new OECD report, How's Life, offers a comprehensive picture of what makes up people’s lives in 40 countries worldwide. This is part of the OECD’s ongoing effort to devise new measures for assessing well-being that go beyond GDP.

Addressing the social impact of the crisis

Urgent action must be taken by the governments to tackle high unemployment and growing inequality. Good-quality social policies, particularly those addressed to the most vulnerable, should be seen as sound investments to promote economic growth and well-being, according to Angel Gurría.

Related Documents

• OECD High-level Parliamentary Seminar - "Addressing the Social Impact of the Crisis"