WOMEN, WORK, GLOBALIZATION

WOMEN, WORK, GLOBALIZATION Research of the Agency for Social Analyses (ASA) and WAD Foundation Headed by Prof. Dr.Lilia Dimova Supported by UNIFEM ASA s Research WOMEN, WORK, GLOBALIZATION - 2001. November 2001

Contents RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3 SATISFACTION WITH THE CHANGES 4 ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PRIORITIES OF STATE POLICY 5 ATTITUDE TOWARDS PROCESSES OF GLOBALIZATION 6 POVERTY AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM 7 POVERTY INDEXES 8 OPTIMISM INDEXES 9 ACTIVITY INDEXES 10 ATTITUDE TOWARD DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES 11 "DISLOYAL RIVALRY" OF WOMEN ON THE LABOUR MARKET 12 JOB PREFERENCES 13 DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD LABOUR 14 BREAKING TRADITIONALISM 15 ASA s Research WOMEN, WORK, GLOBALIZATION - 2001. 2

Sample RESEARCH METHODOLOGY National representative survey of the whole Bulgarian population Sample size 1 093, aged 18 or older Research method Individual face-to-face standardized interview by place of residence Standard error ± 2,5 % ASA s Research WOMEN, WORK, GLOBALIZATION - 2001. 3

SATISFACTION WITH THE CHANGES TABLE 1. DEGREE OF SATISFACTION WITH THE CHANGES (%) A comparatively small part of both men and women are satisfied with the changes in the economy, quality of life and political situation in the country. Those who are discontented are considerably more. Discontent is most outstanding with regards to the quality of life. Nearly two thirds of the people are dissatisfied with their own style of living. The survey registers that 63% of both men and women live worse than before the beginning of transformations. Every fourth man and every third woman assess their living standard as lower than the standard of their mothers when they were their age. However, concerning gender equality in the country, positive attitudes dominate over negative. Current level of equality is more favourable to men than women. Satisfaction with Satisfied Neither satisfied,nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied М F М F М F one s own quality of life 17,1 14,7 21,1 20,9 61,2 63,1 political situation 16,5 12,2 24,5 26,1 43,1 43,2 gender equality 46,6 38,1 24,4 21,5 15,9 27,2 ongoing reforms 17,6 14,8 23,6 19,8 45,3 49,3 4

ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PRIORITIES OF GOVERNMENTAL POLICY The data shows a great gap between the people s priorities and the agenda of the political elite. There are strong differences when ranging public evaluations of what is and towards what should the governmental policy be oriented towards. Most men and women point out Eurointegration and NATO accession as leading the current political orientation. But they come in the rear of the expectation scale of the public. This could be partly explained with the so called language misunderstanding between politicians and citizens. Another reason is the highly polarized society into THEM and US, i.e. politicians and ordinary people. The improvement of the living standard, economic stabilization, combating crime and corruption and increasing employment are the priorities which according to the public opinion should be the top priorities in the governmental policy. TABLE 2. REAL AND DESIRABLE PRIORITIES OF GOVERNMENTAL POLICY Priorities Real priorities Rang total Male Female Desirable priorities % % Rang male Rang female Male Female Euro-integration 1 42,2 34,2 9 10 10,7 7,4 Membership in NATO 2 42,3 32,9 13 14 4,3 0,9 Economy 3 39,3 32,6 2 2 57,6 54,9 Corruption 4 27,6 24,5 4 6 26,5 20,1 Criminality 5 21,8 20,0 5 4 25,8 29,1 Living standard 6 22,5 15,4 1 1 61,3 57,7 Financial stabilization 7 19,3 18,1 6 7 17,8 15,0 Employment 8 12,1 10,0 3 3 36,8 31,9 National interests 9 11,3 10,5 8 11 11,7 7,0 Health care 10 8,2 11,1 7 5 17,0 21,6 Education 11 3.2 3.0 12 12 5,9 7,0 Children and youths 12 1.8 4.4 10 8 8,2 11,2 Adults 13 1.5 3.4 11 9 7,0 11,0 Sport 14 1.1 0.6 15 15 0,3 0,0 Culture 15 0.2 0.3 14 13 1,8 2,4 Can not estimate 11,6 23,3 1,1 6,0 The interviewed has given to three answers on account of which the total per cent exceeds 100. 5

ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PROCESSES OF GLOBALIZATION The evaluations of advantages and disadvantages of globalization are contradictory and are based on myths rather than real arguments. Positive judgements prevail in principle : e.g. multinational companies are good for our economy (64.1% men and 44.2% women), Bulgaria will gain from Euro-integration (64.1% men and 52.1% women). NATO membership will improve our national security think 47.3% of men and 35.6% of women. The greater political freedom as a result from the democrartic changes in our country is also appraised. Simultaneously negativism prevails in the attitudes towards privatization and market globalization; comparatively high are the reservations towards movement of labor force into our country. Relatively high is the portion of people who have not formed opinion, which speaks for low level of information. Data reveal strong susceptibility in both sexes towards potential immigration. TABLE 3.TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS (%) Statements 1. Women now have more political freedom 2. It is better to work in privatized enterprises 3. In order to become an EU member the living standard of the people in Bulgaria should be raised 4. Bulgaria should limit the foreign goods import in order to encourage our national economy 5. Foreigners should not be allowed to buy land in Bulgaria 6. Immigrants are a threat to the working places 7. I am willing to immigrate to another European country 8. I will advise a young person to immigrate to another European country 9. Multinational companies are good for our economy 10 New technologies will increase the number of working places Agree Neither agree, nor disagree Disagree Can t choose, Don t know М F М F М Ж М F 47,2 39,0 20,1 18,1 19,9 27,9 12,8 15,0 11,5 18,8 14,8 11,9 41,6 35,6 32,1 45,3 89,5 80,4 1,1 2,1 2,1 0,9 7,3 16,6 66,0 64,6 13,3 8,5 14,8 10,4 6,0 16,5 49,4 41,4 16,5 14,3 24,8 22,9 9,4 21,4 53,2 42,6 10,4 12,2 16,7 14,5 19,8 30,7 36,4 34,7 7,3 3,2 55,4 58,6 0,8 3,5 61,2 55,3 5,4 5,8 25,8 31,7 7,6 7,2 56,0 44,2 15,7 13,4 7,3 9,4 20,9 33,0 17,0 17,7 13,0 11,5 51,0 38,5 18,9 32,5 6

POVERTY AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM Poverty is one of the strongest negative effects of globalization. In 2001, the structure of Bulgarian society consists of an insignificant share of people at the top, a relatively small middle class (22%) and a massive accumulation from the middle to the social bottom. Caught in poverty feel 29 per cent of Bulgarian citizens who live badly and hardly make both ends meet. They are mostly pensioners and unemployed, but also 15 per cent of the employed. Women make up 58 % of those who identify themselves as poor. The structure of the society, based on assessments before the beginning of transformations is different less people at the top and at the bottom and dominant majority around the middle of the social pyramid. Respondents expectations are that at their age their children will live in a society with less poor and more well-to-do people. However, every third of the poor expects his children also to be poor. CHART 1. STRUCTURE OF BULGARIAN SOCIETY ACCORDING TO SELF-ESTIMATIONS RICH-POOR SCALE RICH POOR 1989 6 26 43 20 6 2001 1 5 22 45 29 The children 11 25 25 19 9 7

POVERTY INDEXES CHART 2. POVERTY INDEXES BY AGE AND BY SEX Poverty indexes are computed as a weighted average from the self-assessment of the surveyed people regarding their position on the 10-grade Rich - Poor scale. Poverty indexes vary from 1 to 5. The nearer to 5 is the index value the more negative are the assessments of poverty in the country. Indexes, which gravitate to 1 show maximum closeness to the ideal of society of prosperity. The tendency for lingering high index levels is a symptom for developing a culture of poverty, which tends to be transmitted from one generation to generation. If that continues there is a real risk of second poor generation. Poor Rather poor Neither rich, Nor poor Rather Rich Rich 5 4 3 2 1 2,9 6 2,96 3,8 2 3,92 3,7 9 3,88 Male 3,8 4 3,91 4,0 1 4,07 Female 3,9 7 4,09 3,9 1 4,01 2,8 6 1989 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 Children 3,04 8

OPTIMISM INDEXES CHART 3. OPTIMISM INDEXES BY AGE AND BY SEX This index shows the assessment of the surveyed of how likely are people like them and their families, as things are going in Bulgaria, to improve their living standard. Optimism indexes vary between from 1 to 3. The nearer to 3 is the value, the more pessimistic public attitudes are. This index demonstrates similar high values as the poverty indexes. The fluctuations in the years 1997 and 2001 toward greater optimism are based on hopes for better life, which people lay on the new government. Pessimism Realism Optimism 3 2 2,1 2,34 Male 2,3 2,54 Female 2,3 2,34 2,9 2,75 2,28 2,2 Generally, the indexes for women has insignificantly higher values compared to those for men, except for the year 2000 which is characterized with great dissatisfaction with government and the processes in the country, more strongly expressed by men. 1 1993 1995 1997 2000 2001 9

ACTIVITY INDEXES CHART 4. ACTIVITY INDEXES Activity index registers citizens individual strategies for coping with the crisis and assumes varies between 1 and 3. Values near 1 indicate active approach and values near 3 helplessness and waiting for help from the outside, mostly from the state. Active strategies include seeking for additional sources of income, mainly in the sphere of alternative gray economy. Passive strategies are linked with fastening the belts and shrinking the consumption. They latter prevail in the years of transformations in our country. Women are comparatively more passive than men when choosing a strategy for improving their living standard. They rely less on their own potential than men do. Helplessness Passivity Active approach 3 2 1 Male Female 2,75 2,54 2,34 2,34 2,28 2,19 2,48 2,22 2,6 2,21 1993 1995 1997 2000 2001 10

ATTITUDES TOWARDS DISCRIMINATION CHART 5. PUBLIC ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN ABUSE REGARDING A considerable portion of both men and women estimates that women in our country are under different discriminatory pressure on the labour market. It is displayed mostly regarding hiring practices, remuneration, holding high posts. Differences in evaluations by sex are insignificant. 1 employment/hiring % 60 Male Female Things are different in relation to women and dismissals. Men threatened by the same danger look upon women more as sharing the same destiny rather than as victims. However, once again women identify themselves as more abused. 2.remuneration 3 dismissals 40 20 41 46 51 53 35 44 47 47 4 holding high posts 0 1 2 3 4 11

DISLOYAL COMPETITION OF WOMEN ON THE LABOUR MARKET Survey showed that women s declared remuneration is lower than that of men. Employed women receive 67% of men s remuneration. More interesting is that women in fact do ask for less. What they consider as deserved financial equivalent for their work presents 54% of what men think as deserved. Compared to men, women are more inclined to re-training and pay for their new qualification, to study during their whole working life, to compromise with household work and taking care of children, to do without free time. In contrast, men have difficulty in accepting whatever job, although both sexes would do it when pressed to support their family in conditions of unemployment. TABLE 4. REAL AND REGARDED AS FAIR REMUNERATIONS Declared average monthly remunerations Assessment of deserved labor remuneration Differences between declared and considered as deserved remunerations Percent of differences between declared and considered as deserved remunerations Male Female Difference % of male income 264lv. 176lv. 88lv. 67 710lv. 382lv. 328lv. 54-446lv. - 206lv. 240lv. 37 46 TABLE 5. TO BE COMPETITIVE AT THE LABOUR MARKET, TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU WILLING OR NOT (% of employed) Willing Neither Unwilling willing, nor unwilling М F М F М F to pay for qualification and retraining 51,3 67,3 20,0 8,2 26,3 21,9 to study during all your working life 40,3 58,9 15,4 12,1 42,4 26,8 to compromise with your family duties 35,5 46,7 24,6 17,8 36,3 31,0 12

JOB PREFERENCES The data reveals that comparatively most numerous are the preferences for state work. They are largely linked with the high culture of dependency of Bulgarian people. According to 73.7% of men and 79.1% of women the state should provide workplaces. 84.2% of men and 85.7% of women think that it is a state obligation to provide for everyone in Bulgaria a minimum guaranteed income. The other reason is in the syndrome of subscription to a salary which lives on in public consciousness since Communist times, i.e. little work for small, but sure money. State work is to a great extent a synonym for subscription for a salary. State work is also considered as more secure. High remuneration and job security are among the top labor values. % 60 40 20 0 37 43 15 14 Male Female 27 16 9 9 1 2 3 4 More men than women are interested in starting their own business. The comfort of subordinates is comparatively more preferred by women than by men. CHART 6. JOB PREFERENCES 1. State company 2. Bulgarian private company or joint venture 3. Foreign private company 4. Own business 13

DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD WORK The survey registers an overwhelming share of unpaid household work, done by women. On average, women spend over 8 hours more than men on household duties a week. Most significant are the differences in the group of unemployed where men s share of household duties is 12 hours less than women s share. Women continue taking nearly the whole burden of domestic work laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning. For a period of just 6 years (compared to 1995) the burden of all these duties has fallen upon the shoulders of an additional 25% women.. Men do only small repairs in the house and assist with the shopping. Both sexes evaluate the distribution of household work as unfair. Nearly half of the women in Bulgaria (48%) believe that at home they do much more than their fair share is. Because of this, every third man suffers from remorses. TABLE 6. HOURS A WEEK, SPEND ON HOUSEHOLD WORK Category Male Female Difference female/male Total 13h. 07 m. 21h 19m. + 8h. 12m. Employed 11h. 23m. 18 h. 12m. + 6h. 53m. Unemployed 13h. 38m. 25h. 52m. + 12h. 14m. Pensioners 15h. 34m. 23h. 32m. + 7h. 59m. CHART 7. FAIRNESS OF DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD WORK (%) 1. I do much more than fair 2. I do roughly what is fair 3. I do much less than far % 60 40 20 0 5 48 62 48 Male 33 1 2 3 Female 4 14

BREAKING TRADITIONALISM Many Bulgarian men, mainly from older generations, still consider home and family to be the supreme value for women. However, fewer women think in this way. With both sexes breaking the traditional beliefs of gender-role division is observed. The untraditional is more strongly expressed with women.. The opinion that both men and women should contribute to the family income is all pervading. The reasons lie in women s employment, which has turned into a public norm, as well as in the poor financial conditions experienced by Bulgarian families nowadays. Men s contribution to the unpaid household work is assessed as insufficient. Predominant are the attitudes that men should not be entirely devoted to their job and should instead take a larger share of domestic duties and childcare. TABLE 7. LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE STATEMENTS Statements Having a job is all right, but what most women really want is a home and children Being a housewife is as selffulfilling as working for pay Having a job is the best way for a woman to be an independent person Both the man and woman should contribute to the family income A man s job is to earn money; a woman s job is to look after the home and family Men ought to do a larger share of household work than they do now. Men ought to do a larger share of childcare than they do now. Agree Neither agree, nor disagree Disagree Male Female Male Female Male Female 57,3 52,4 19,5 23,2 13,2 19,5 51,5 41,3 18,1 17,9 20,3 36,3 64,1 75,0 18,5 10,3 9,3 8,3 85,1 88,6 1,0 6,9 3,1 2,4 47,5 36,6 26,1 26,7 24,9 33,6 52,2 72,0 27,0 18,0 14,2 5,8 71,1 83,3 20,3 10,0 3,7 2,9 15

WAD foundation is a leading information, consultative and training center, an active participant in the international consultative process, and an advocate for gender equality and partnership of men and women, in compliance with international standards in this field. The mission of WAD is to establish a strategic alliance of organizations and individuals, working for equal opportunities of women and men in all spheres of live. The Agency for Social Analyses (ASA) is specialized in conducting social and marketing researches, analyses and consultations, as well as in developing programmes for Social Marketing. ASA is specialized in surveys and analyses in the sphere of social stratification, inequality and poverty, problems of women in society, work and family, ethnic and national identity and awareness, environmental culture and behavior, political and religious attitudes, work orientation, social policy, economic, political and electorate behavior, value orientation and attitudes of Bulgarian population, public opinion research, etc. ASA analyses the dynamics of the quality of life, poverty, individual strategies, among whole population and among different social groups for coping with the crisis. ASA observes changes in poverty, activity and optimism indexes. Women s Alliance for Development (WAD) 52, Neofit Rilski Street 1000 Sofia Phone/fax: + 359-2/980 9447 Wad@infotel.bg www.women-bg.org Agency for Social Analyses (ASA) 1040, Sofia 1, Macedonia Sq, Phone/fax:+ 359-2/ 986 10 72 asa@mail.orbitel.bg www.asa-bg.netfirms.com For contacts: Pavlina Filipova pavlina@infotel.bg Prof. Lilia Dimova lilia.dimova@consultant.bg ASA Research WOMEN WORK GLOBALIZATION 2001. Headed by: prof. Dr. Lilia Dimova 16