The new project the Infographics Projects concerns the quality of life of the citizens of the European Union (hereinafter EU), which can be defined as the degree in which an individual is healthy and can participate in life events. Academic interest in quality of life began to rise after the end of World War II when there was a growing awareness and recognition of social inequalities. Quality of life is assessed using two different methods of measurement. More specifically, quality of life is assessed objectively through the use of economic, social, and health indicators and subjectively through questionnaires to citizens who capture the extent to which their needs are met. Ιn the “Infographics Project – Quality of Life”, both the objective indicators and the perspective of the EU citizens will be analyzed in the sectors of the economy, society, and health, on the basis of which their quality of life is assessed. The analysis will focus on the comparative course and position of Greece in relation to the other EU member states, while through it the margins for further improvement in the quality of life of European citizens will be highlighted.
In the first issue the quality of employment will be analyzed through the following indicators: “ Level of job satisfaction of the working population (Job Satisfaction), employees hours working per week (Employees Long Working Hours), as well as the difference of working hours between employed and self-employed (Self-employed persons with employees (employers) Long working Hours’) and the proportion of low-wage employees to total employees (excluding interns).
The indicator “Level of job satisfaction of the working population” depicts the percentage of the population of each E.U. member state, rating their job satisfaction as High, Medium, or Low. For 2018, Greece recorded medium job satisfaction among its majority of the working population, with 58.3%, while the country showcased the second-highest percentage, with 29.6% of the working population, having low job satisfaction as well as the lowest percentage of high job satisfaction, with 12.1%, in comparison with the other EU member-states. It is noteworthy to mention that Finland was the country with the highest percentage [41.4%] of high job satisfaction, on the contrary Bulgaria recorded the highest percentage of low job satisfaction in E.U. with a percentage of 36.6%. Regarding the EU as a whole, the majority of its population recorded medium job satisfaction, more specifically 58.5% of the working population, while high job satisfaction in this indicator noted as 24.6% of E.U. ‘s working population.
The indicator “Employees Long Working Hours” refers to the percentage of employees that work weekly, in their main job, for at least 49 hours. In 2020, Greece recorded the 8th highest percentage [4.5%], in comparison with the rest of the E.U. member states, yet presenting a 31.82% decrease from 2015. Cyprus was the country with the highest percentage in this indicator, with a rate of 8.5%, while the Netherlands recorded the lowest percentage at a rate of 0.3%. Regarding the variations from 2015 to 2020, Hungary was the country recording the highest decrease, at a rate of 61.11%, ranging from 3.6% in 2015 to 1.4% in 2020, while Lithuania recorded the highest increase, at a rate of 50%. The E.U., as a whole for 2020 recorded a percentage of 3.8%. It is noteworthy to mention that in 2015 this percentage was 4.9%, so a significant decrease of 22.45% was noted.
Greece, in 2020, in the indicator that measures the difference in the percentages of self-employed and employees who worked on average over 49 hours, recorded a percentage of 47.2%, with self-employed working at a rate of 51.7% and employees at a rate of 4.5%. Belgium had the biggest difference in this indicator, with the self-employed working at a rate of 59.6% and employees at a rate of 4%. It is worth mentioning that E.U., as a whole, recorded percentages of 43.8% for self-employed and 3.8% for employees.
Regarding the indicator that refers to the Proportion of low-wage employees to total employees (excluding interns), in 2018, Greece recorded a percentage of 19.65%, presenting a decrease from 2014, thus occupying the 9th highest position in comparison with the rest of E.U. member-states, while E.U., as a whole, recorded a percentage of 15.22%.
This issue will analyze the topic of Gender Equality with an emphasis on the labour pillar and a parallel examination of certain social phenomena. In particular, this issue will examine the difference in employment between the sexes, the likelihood of a female-headed household being able to cope with unexpected expenses compared to a male-headed household, unemployment rates by gender and the likelihood of depression symptoms by gender. The examined period covers the years from 2015 to 2020 and the data of both Greece and the other EU member states are examined.
In 2020, Greece recorded 19.4% in the Gender Employment Gap indicator, the second largest gender employment gap in the Union. Throughout the EU heterogeneity was observed in the results of this index, with rates ranging from 1.7% in Lithuania to 19.7% in Italy. For the EU as a whole, this indicator in 2020 was 11%, showing a slight decrease for the second consecutive year. From 2015 to 2020, on average the percentage in the Gender Employment Gap indicator has decreased marginally in all EU countries by 0.45%, with the most notable reductions being in Malta and Luxembourg, where the percentage decreased by 9% and 4.6%, respectively.
We use the “Inability to face unexpected financial expenses by type of household” index to highlight the probability of a household consisting of one woman to cope with unexpected expenses compared to a household consisting of one man. In 2020, throughout the EU, the highest percentage was found in Portugal with 42.14% (where for male-headed households the percentage was 31.8%, while for female-headed households the percentage was 45.2%) and the lowest in Germany with -4.73% (with 46,5% for male-headed households and 44.3% for female-headed households), i.e. a male-headed household is less likely to meet unexpected expenditure than a female-headed household. Similarly, in Greece, in 2020, this indicator stood at 22.4%, ranking it 12th in the Union.
The probability of a woman not working in relation to a man, in 2020, in Greece was 45.59%. Despite the downward trend of this index since 2018, Greece has the highest percentage in the Union. In the EU as a whole, in 2020, a woman was 8.82% more likely to not work than a man, but ten countries had a negative probability. At the same time, the probability of a woman experiencing symptoms of depression in Greece compared to a man was 84.21%, in 2020. This was the fourth-highest percentage in the Union, behind only Spain, Italy, and Latvia. In the EU as a whole, in 2020, the percentage was 37.29%.
In conclusion, Greece in 2019 and 2020 performed worse than the rest of the European Union, but showed some signs of improvement in the examined indicators. The next issue of the “Infographics Project – Quality of Life” will examine general indicators that affect the standard of living of the citizens of the EU. The next issue is expected to be published on the 2nd of June.
- Issue I
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In the first issue the quality of employment will be analyzed through the following indicators: “ Level of job satisfaction of the working population (Job Satisfaction), employees hours working per week (Employees Long Working Hours), as well as the difference of working hours between employed and self-employed (Self-employed persons with employees (employers) Long working Hours’) and the proportion of low-wage employees to total employees (excluding interns).
The indicator “Level of job satisfaction of the working population” depicts the percentage of the population of each E.U. member state, rating their job satisfaction as High, Medium, or Low. For 2018, Greece recorded medium job satisfaction among its majority of the working population, with 58.3%, while the country showcased the second-highest percentage, with 29.6% of the working population, having low job satisfaction as well as the lowest percentage of high job satisfaction, with 12.1%, in comparison with the other EU member-states. It is noteworthy to mention that Finland was the country with the highest percentage [41.4%] of high job satisfaction, on the contrary Bulgaria recorded the highest percentage of low job satisfaction in E.U. with a percentage of 36.6%. Regarding the EU as a whole, the majority of its population recorded medium job satisfaction, more specifically 58.5% of the working population, while high job satisfaction in this indicator noted as 24.6% of E.U. ‘s working population.
The indicator “Employees Long Working Hours” refers to the percentage of employees that work weekly, in their main job, for at least 49 hours. In 2020, Greece recorded the 8th highest percentage [4.5%], in comparison with the rest of the E.U. member states, yet presenting a 31.82% decrease from 2015. Cyprus was the country with the highest percentage in this indicator, with a rate of 8.5%, while the Netherlands recorded the lowest percentage at a rate of 0.3%. Regarding the variations from 2015 to 2020, Hungary was the country recording the highest decrease, at a rate of 61.11%, ranging from 3.6% in 2015 to 1.4% in 2020, while Lithuania recorded the highest increase, at a rate of 50%. The E.U., as a whole for 2020 recorded a percentage of 3.8%. It is noteworthy to mention that in 2015 this percentage was 4.9%, so a significant decrease of 22.45% was noted.
Greece, in 2020, in the indicator that measures the difference in the percentages of self-employed and employees who worked on average over 49 hours, recorded a percentage of 47.2%, with self-employed working at a rate of 51.7% and employees at a rate of 4.5%. Belgium had the biggest difference in this indicator, with the self-employed working at a rate of 59.6% and employees at a rate of 4%. It is worth mentioning that E.U., as a whole, recorded percentages of 43.8% for self-employed and 3.8% for employees.
Regarding the indicator that refers to the Proportion of low-wage employees to total employees (excluding interns), in 2018, Greece recorded a percentage of 19.65%, presenting a decrease from 2014, thus occupying the 9th highest position in comparison with the rest of E.U. member-states, while E.U., as a whole, recorded a percentage of 15.22%. - Issue II
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This issue will analyze the topic of Gender Equality with an emphasis on the labour pillar and a parallel examination of certain social phenomena. In particular, this issue will examine the difference in employment between the sexes, the likelihood of a female-headed household being able to cope with unexpected expenses compared to a male-headed household, unemployment rates by gender and the likelihood of depression symptoms by gender. The examined period covers the years from 2015 to 2020 and the data of both Greece and the other EU member states are examined.
In 2020, Greece recorded 19.4% in the Gender Employment Gap indicator, the second largest gender employment gap in the Union. Throughout the EU heterogeneity was observed in the results of this index, with rates ranging from 1.7% in Lithuania to 19.7% in Italy. For the EU as a whole, this indicator in 2020 was 11%, showing a slight decrease for the second consecutive year. From 2015 to 2020, on average the percentage in the Gender Employment Gap indicator has decreased marginally in all EU countries by 0.45%, with the most notable reductions being in Malta and Luxembourg, where the percentage decreased by 9% and 4.6%, respectively.
We use the “Inability to face unexpected financial expenses by type of household” index to highlight the probability of a household consisting of one woman to cope with unexpected expenses compared to a household consisting of one man. In 2020, throughout the EU, the highest percentage was found in Portugal with 42.14% (where for male-headed households the percentage was 31.8%, while for female-headed households the percentage was 45.2%) and the lowest in Germany with -4.73% (with 46,5% for male-headed households and 44.3% for female-headed households), i.e. a male-headed household is less likely to meet unexpected expenditure than a female-headed household. Similarly, in Greece, in 2020, this indicator stood at 22.4%, ranking it 12th in the Union.
The probability of a woman not working in relation to a man, in 2020, in Greece was 45.59%. Despite the downward trend of this index since 2018, Greece has the highest percentage in the Union. In the EU as a whole, in 2020, a woman was 8.82% more likely to not work than a man, but ten countries had a negative probability. At the same time, the probability of a woman experiencing symptoms of depression in Greece compared to a man was 84.21%, in 2020. This was the fourth-highest percentage in the Union, behind only Spain, Italy, and Latvia. In the EU as a whole, in 2020, the percentage was 37.29%.
In conclusion, Greece in 2019 and 2020 performed worse than the rest of the European Union, but showed some signs of improvement in the examined indicators. The next issue of the “Infographics Project – Quality of Life” will examine general indicators that affect the standard of living of the citizens of the EU. The next issue is expected to be published on the 2nd of June.