Almudena Moreno Mínguez

New technologies as social fact: gender and digital divide in Spain in compared perspective

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effect that the new technologies has had on the social structure and on unequal access by gender in Southern European countries, particularly in Spain. I have used data from the Eurobarometer for the year 2003 for my analysis.The major conclusion is that in Southern European countries extensive gender inequality can be observed in access to the new information technologies. These inequalities are more pronounced in the group of women with low educational levels and those who are not integrated into the labour market. The gaps can partly be explained by the family-based culture that characterizes Southern European countries, where women have historically been confined to the private environment of the family, thus limiting their opportunity for integration into the labour market and to new technologies.

Economic crisis and the new housing transitions of young people in Spain

This article explores the factors involved in young peoples housing transitions in Spain which are typically characterised by late emancipation. The paper incorporates a comparative analysis of the housing transitions of young people in Spain with those of young people in other European countries and using longitudinal data it considers the particular impacts of the recent economic crisis. Most studies have linked late emancipation of Spanish youths to factors such as their employment status, difficulties accessing housing, the economic situation, social welfare policy, youth policy and a protective family culture. In particular, the main drivers of change highlighted in the literature are economic factors (education, employment status, housing, public policy and resources) and on the other hand, cultural factors such as attitudes towards home ownership and forming new households. However, there is very little research analysing the effects that the economic crisis has had on youth housing transitions in Spain. The objective of this paper is to provide insights on the effects the economic crisis is having on the housing market and on youth housing transitions in Spain. This is a complex issue; hence, the paper draws upon multiple data sources. The main conclusion is that the economic crisis has begun to change youth housing transitions in Spain.

Working Parents, Family and Gender in Spain from an European Comparative Perspective

This chapter analyses how strategies of work-family balance are rooted in cultural and institutional frames which determine individual choices. The findings also show that choices concerning family and work are mediated by individual factors such as the education and the income. The aim of this chapter is to compare the dilemmas involved in balancing work and family life experienced by families with children in relation to their needs and demands in Europe using sources such as Eurobarometer and the European Labour Force Survey. Thus, this chapter offers a comparative analysis of data regarding work-family balance (WFB) faced by families with children in the comparative framework of Europe’s welfare regime.

Late Leaving of the Parental Home in Southern Europe: Lessons for Youth Policy

This article focuses on describing the late leaving of the parental home of young people in five European countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Slovenia) from a cross country perspective. In order to achieve this objective, the author has identified several factors related to the late leaving of the parental home in relation to the age norms, the youth policy and the economical family support. The descriptive analysis uses data from various international statistical sources. Empirical evidence shows that there is a specific model of late leaving home in the Mediterranean countries related to the transitional regime model. The cultural factors and institutional factors may create conditions to postpone the transition to adulthood in southern Europe. The findings evidence a homogeneous cluster in southern Europe characterized by late leaving of the parental home, stability in the age norms, high intergenerational support through residential co-residence with parents and a reduced public support for young people.

Youth Employment in the Iberian Countries

Southern European countries have been the countries most affected by the economic crisis, and this has led to very high levels of unemployment. Although unemployment has affected all types of workers, the youth has experienced the highest increase in unemployment rates, even exceeding 30% in countries such as Portugal or Spain. Our aim in this chapter is twofold: first, we analyse the impact of economic downturn on the labour market situation of the youth in these two countries in comparison to Northern and Central European countries. Second, we study the implementation of policies to foster youth employment. In particular, we examine the Youth Guarantee programmes developed following the recommendations by the European Commission. Finally, we compare the performance of both countries in terms of trajectories to the achievement of European 2020 objectives.

The youth emancipation in Spain: a socio-demographic analysis

Abstract This article presents a critical discussion of the socio-demographic factors which determine leaving parental home and provides new empirical evidence of gendered differences in leaving the parental home in Spain. The study is based on a subsample of young people 19 to 29 years old included in the Youth 2012 survey, which was carried out in Spain by the Youth Institute. Our findings address the importance of employment status, having a partner, and the labour situation to leave home among men. The most important factor affecting early residential leaving home among women seems to be the partnership (marriage or cohabitation), while employment status does not appear to be significant. Economic support from parents is negatively correlated with the odds of being living out of the parental home for both men and women.This article presents a critical discussion of the socio-demographic factors which determine leaving parental home and provides new empirical evidence of gendered differences in leaving the parenta...

Understanding the Impact of Economic Crisis on Inequality, Household Structure, and Family Support in Spain from a Comparative Perspective

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of the economic crisis on household income and on the protective role of Spanish families in the context of the current crisis using a descriptive and comparative perspective. The methodology used for this purpose is based on the use of comparative data from several international statistical sources. The findings presented show that the economic recession has increased inequality and poverty in Spain—particularly among families with children—in relation to other European countries. Another conclusion is that the traditional extended family has supported its members by providing financial and personal care for children and the elderly as a traditional type of intergenerational solidarity. However, the effect of the crisis on families does not translate into greater intergenerational support by regrouping the household into extended families. Inequality can therefore be reduced through more generous benefits and social policy towards families with children and young people.

Gender equality and family changes in the work–family culture in Southern Europe1

ABSTRACT The wider context of the trade-off between work and family is not just a matter of changing preferences. The focus of the literature in this area has been strongly concerned with the identification of factors promoting high levels of female employment than with the location of policy determinants of cross-national fertility variation. Work–family reconciliation is considered as a political action that gives quite limited and unstable support to encourage women’s labour market participation, this results in the poor development of external services and in fewer benefits for women, who have to undertake multiple roles inside and outside the family. The Southern European countries (SEC) model take a specific family-oriented approach to work–family reconciliation. They are family-oriented in that they entrust the family with more responsibilities that in other countries and take a conservative/corporatist-family-oriented approach to work–family reconciliation. The key role and the interconnection between fertility and employment among women, as well as the influence of the gender system and, on the whole, of the welfare system depend on the specific culture of different countries. Based on these theoretical premises, this paper reviews the academic discussion of the meaning of work–family balance concept in the cultural context of SEC from a comparative perspective, taking in account the gender equality debate.

Future perspectives on work and family dynamics in Southern Europe: the importance of culture and regional contexts

ABSTRACT The Southern countries model (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece) take a specific family-oriented approach to work–family reconciliation. They are family-oriented in that they entrust the family with more responsibilities that in other countries. Work–family reconciliation is considered as a political action that gives quite limited and unstable support to encourage women’s labour-market participation; this results in the poor development of external services and in few benefits for women, who have to undertake multiple roles inside and outside the family. In these countries, negotiation is left to the private spheres of the couple or local communities, so that each family can decide on the best way to use the existing policies and consider the possibilities available to them. In this sense it is not possible only to apply ‘outside models’ (such as the Nordic, French, German, etc.) to find an effective approach for these countries. The special issue, starting from the current situation explores possibilities for future scenarios in Southern Europe countries concerning work–family dynamics. It includes general comparative papers or case study on work-care arrangements, family and care policies, early childhood education and care (ECEC) with regard to family well-being, gender equality, fertility or father involvement in Southern European countries.

Gendered work–family balance in Spain from a European comparative perspective

This article presents a comparative analysis of work–family balance (WFB) arrangements in Spain by gender within the comparative framework of family policies enacted by the different welfare regimes in Europe. The article is based on the premise that there is a confluence of factors in Spain – such as its historical legacy and the familism embedded in the cultural framework and lack of family policies, which has contributed to producing a model of unequal gender relations in WFB. In order to test this hypothesis, we carried out a descriptive comparative analysis of family policies (childcare services and parental leave) as well as two statistical cluster analyses using data from module 5 of the 2005 European Labour Force Survey (ELFS) and the 2008 Eurobarometer (EB) in order to analyse the work–family arrangements and dilemmas by a group of European countries. The main finding derived from this empirical data is that different models of family policies prevailing in different countries have had unequal effects on WFB by gender. In particular in the Spanish case, the lack of public policies addressing WFB and family culture has reinforced the role of the mother and family as the main caregivers.