Telework challenges in education, gender equality and working conditions

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The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted, on 24 March 2021, two opinions on the challenges of teleworking. The first opinion (SOC/660) focuses on the issues related to teleworking in relation to the organisation of working time, work-life balance and the right to disconnect. Additionally, the second opinion (SOC/662) addresses the impact of teleworking on gender equality, relating it, in particular, to the unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work between women and men.

During the development of these two opinions, ETUCE ensured to represent the voice of education trade unions. This is particularly important in light of the impact of the emergency online teaching and learning measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a professional sector where teleworking does not traditionally occur. ETUCE brought attention of the EESC on several issues related to gender equality as well as the working conditions of teachers and education personnel.

The EESC opinions called for mainstreaming gender equality at all levels of education. On numerous occasions, ETUCE has denounced the vertical and horizontal gender segregation affecting the education sector and highlighted the need to ensure that the digital tools are used as effective instruments to counter inequalities, instead of increasing the gaps in access to education and educational outcomes. The EESC also called to encourage private investment in education as a way to favour gender equality. In this respect, ETUCE warns that increasing privatisation in education, has shown to hinder equality and inclusion in education, and negatively impact the quality of education.

ETUCE welcomes that the EESC addressed the issue related to the right to disconnect. Increased and unsustainable workload, reduced work-life balance, and increased pressure from employers, students and families who expect constant availability, are amongst the main challenges reported by ETUCE Member organisations during the pandemic, impacting more teachers with part-time contracts, most of whom are women. Therefore, we support the EESC’s call, saying that “modalities of connection and disconnection have to be determined and agreed through social dialogue at company (and/or sectoral) level to ensure that they are adapted to the specific needs of the sectors, companies and other organisations, whilst also taking account of workers' needs, particularly their health and safety.”.

Concerning gender equality, the EESC highlighted that teleworking risks increasing gender-based violence incidents and the burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women workers. As an example, in the education sector, the opinion mentioned that women academics were particularly hit by unpaid care and domestic work in terms of productivity and career prospects. ETUCE underlines that with teaching being a highly feminised profession, these issues impacted women teachers at all education levels across Europe. To face these challenges, the EESC called to reinforce legislation to combat gender-based violence against women and gender stereotypes, including in the workplace, and to provide more flexibility for organising working time.

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