Variable keywords :

Marriage : 1

3000 women took part in a survey between December 1995 and January 1996. All of these 3000 women were private employees working in Luxembourg. The survey was part of a research programme launched and funded by the Chambre des Employés Privés, and carried out by LISER (formerly Ceps/Instead). The research collected a large quantity of data about female private employees, most of it brand new. The questionnaire used in the survey covered eight themes: 1. Members of the household 2. Basic education/training 3. Continued professional development 4. A description of their current professional circumstances 5. Employment history 6. Work/life balance 7. Constraints, solutions, and desires with regard to the balance between working and family life 8. Female cross-border worker characteristics The survey is within the context of recent growth in the female workforce in Luxembourg between 1987 and 1997, where 32,500 new women joined the workforce, and make up 48% of private employees. This growth is clearly visible in the statistics, but it was also apparent in the most recent trade union elections, with more women elected in the last election than ever before. Indeed, today eight women are members of the Chambre des Employés Privés’ plenary assembly. This helped raise awareness of the increasing importance of women in the workplace which lead to taking a closer look at the issue. It was then realised that before this survey there had been no research focusing specifically on working conditions for women in Luxembourg.