Women’s care responsibilities, employment and health: a two countries’ tale

Persistently low employment of women in some countries can still be attributed to a traditional perception of women’s role in society. According to observed data and prevailing social and cultural norms, women have been bearing the primary burdens of housework, childcare and other family responsibilities. The unequal share of these care responsibilities between women and men further worsens the disadvantages of women in balancing public and private life, with an impact on their employment and health outcomes. In this paper we investigate the role of family responsibilities in shaping employment and health outcomes by gender, in Italy and France before and after the economic downturn. We find results supporting the fact that gender differences in the share of responsibilities roles in the public and private sphere influence the employability and health perception of women.