Typically women in Liechtenstein are employed at home, in an informal setting, or do not work at all, with three-fourths of the female citizens choosing against careers at this time (Gender equality, n.p.). "As women are very often informal care givers, programs aimed at giving support to informal care providers have a relevant gender impact in terms of quality of life and remuneration for women’s informal work: some countries have introduced forms of payment for caregivers, such as Italy, or other types of support"(Crepaldi, 113). To me this seems like a stereotypical profession designed for women that many women in the United States are trying to get away from as they prove themselves able to compete on the same playing field as men in the workforce. I find it unusual that Liechtenstein has such a thriving industrial and corporate workforce, but women do not participate in it equally. "On average women earned 80 percent of men's earnings for equal work" (Bureau of Democracy, n.p.).
One reason for the discrepancies between the number of men and women working in the high-paying corporate jobs is the fact that women have always been the main caretakers of the family. "The impact of parenthood on labour market participation is still very different for women and men in the EU today because women continue to shoulder a disproportionate part of the responsibilities involved in running a family. Many women feel that they still have to choose between a career and their children"(European Commission, 4). This is no longer a deciding factor in the United States as men and women both play a large role in the development of children. Although in the past, the idea of a man staying at home to take care of children was uncommon and, at times, looked down on because of its typical female connotation, it has become a rather prevalent occurrence in the United States. Additionally, it has become a more prominent scenario for families to need to care for parents and other dependents beside their own children. This takes more work than one single person can do; therefore, both husband and wife are required to be active in the caregiving.
Furthermore, the health benefits that come along with these jobs outside of the secular environment are also unequally divided between men and women. "Women usually have a lower income and do not benefit from the same kind of firm-based private insurance coverage as men do" (Crepaldi, 9). Women are more likely to be employed in the public sector and small firms with part-time and/or temporary contracts in low-paying jobs. These types of jobs tend to not provide supplementary private insurance schemes. "In addition, private insurance schemes are less attractive to women since they usually consider age and gender-specific risks in defining contributions. Women from ethnic minorities and poor households may be especially penalized by the privatization of health services and the increase in out-of-pocket spending on healthcare"(Crepaldi, 9). This is interesting to me because many European countries have government run health care programs so the type of job held by a person shouldn’t be an issue.
Sources:
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. (2014, February 27). 2013 Human Rights Reports: Liechtenstein. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2013/eur/220298.htm
Crepaldi, C., Lodovivi, M., & Corsi, M. (2009, October 1). ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AND LONG-TERM CARE: Equal for women and men?
European Commission. (2010, September 21). Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0491:FIN:en:PDF
Gender equality and cultural policies. (2013, July 11). Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/liechtenstein.php?aid=4210
History of Women's Suffrage. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffrage/history.htm