The proportion of women aged 25 to 54 who were neither working nor seeking employment in the EU last year was 18.5%, compared to 8.2% for men. This is according to the EU Statistical Office Eurostat, that released data today insisting on the motivational element: unemployed women (although it might be better to talk about women doing unpaid work) who were not looking for a job “due to care responsibilities” were 5.7% while 2.9% were not seeking employment for “other family reasons”. Among men not looking for work, only 0.5% said it was because of care responsibilities or family reasons. At the national level, the figure for Romania spiked to 17.8%, followed by Italy (16.3%), Malta (15%), the Czech Republic (13.8%), and Ireland (11%). Women looking for a job, by contrast, are less hindered by such responsibilities in Denmark (0.9%), Sweden (1.5%), and Slovenia (3.2%). The corresponding share for men remains below 1% in all countries, except in Ireland, where it reaches 1.1%.