VIRAGE - Industrial Relations and Gender Equality| Report on National Case Study : Belgium

A national report for Belgium under the VIRAGE project on industrial relations, social dialogue and gender equality, funded by the European Commission's DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, coordinated by CEPS with partners HIVA-KU Leuven, University of Gothenburg, Warsaw School of Economics and Sapienza University of Rome.

Study how industrial relations and social dialogue can shape progress towards gender equality in Belgium at national, regional and community levels.

Research combining review of national legislation/regulation with interviews of policymakers and social partners, examining gender equality across national, sectoral and company-level social dialogue.

Belgium performs relatively well against the EU average across the five gender dimensions studied, notably the gender pay gap (which the analysis suggests may soon reverse for younger cohorts); the poorest scores are for the gender care gap and work-life balance. Three-quarters of employees who used Covid-19 parental leave were women, and women remain over-represented among part-time workers, linked to a lack of affordable childcare.

Gender equality is treated as important by policymakers and social partners at national, sectoral and company level, but is receiving somewhat less attention and resources than in the past; EU-level initiatives (pay-transparency proposal, work-life balance directive, transparent/predictable working conditions directive) are seen as essential to push further change, and intersectionality receives relatively little attention in the Belgian debate.