What are the effects of the financial crisis on Gender Inequality? - The case of Greece

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis has been to ask whether the financial crisis in Greece is having any effects on gender inequality using the two concepts of gender roles and care work as theoretical frameworks. The scope of the study stretches from the beginning of the crisis in 2009, to 2012. Greece is used as a case study in the thesis and the data consists of official statistics from Eurostat and ELSTAT, as well as calculations of the gender gap from the Gender Gap Report. The results of the study show that unemployment and poverty has increased both for men and women, while employment has decreased. The gender gap in political empowerment has also increased while for economic participation it has decreased. The numbers alone do not indicate that the crisis has had any effects on gender inequality but the concepts of gender roles and care work demonstrate that the crisis is creating a situation where the barriers for women to enter the official labour market are increasing. Reinforced gender roles and women’s care burden are leading to less economic opportunities and participation for women, higher poverty rates and further segmentation of the labour market with a larger gender wage gap. The thesis therefore concludes that the economic crisis in Greece is currently increasing gender inequality and risks further exacerbating it in the future.