More and more men receiving parental benefit

In 2019, men accounted for 12% of parental benefit recipients, and their average benefit was 1,728 euros. According to Kaire Raasik, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, women earned on average 1,133 euros in parental benefit, which is 34% less compared to men. “However, the data show that the gap between men’s and women’s parental benefit is decreasing slowly, as it has been even larger in the past,” said Raasik.

Last year, 58% of new fathers used the ten-working-day paternity leave offered by the state – this is 19 percentage points more than six years ago. Paternity leave use has been on the rise since 2013 when the father’s pay for this period started to be calculated based on his average wages. On average, fathers use nine and a half days of paternity leave.

Sex segregation persists on the labour market

Occupation-based sex segregation, which shows the concentration of females and males in different occupations, has been falling in Estonia since 2006. At the same time, economic activity-based sex segregation, which shows the concentration of females and males in different economic activities, has increased.

“The sex segregation indicator shows that there would be an equal number of men and women in all occupations, if 34.5% of men or women changed occupation. In economic activities, there would be an equal number of men and women, if 36.9% of men or women moved into other economic activities,” explained Raasik.

For example, more men work in the economic activities of construction, and transportation and storage, while more women work in education, and human health and social work activities. Among men, there are significantly more plant and machine operators, and among women, professionals and services workers.

Statistics Estonia collects and analyses gender equality data for the Ministry of Social Affairs with the aim to identify changes in the society.