In Catalonia, the female part-time employment rate at the end of 2021 stood at 18.75%, more than 12% points higher than men, according to data from the Active Population Survey (EPA). This difference worsened as a result of the pandemic, which particularly impacted sectors with a high female presence. Although the official systems for recording and statistical information on the labour market (EPA, and Social Security, State Public Employment Service – SEPE) do not provide disaggregated data simultaneously by occupation, sex, and municipality, some examples at the national level show that, among the most feminised occupations, the following stand out: personal care work at home, domestic work, beauty and wellness treatments, childcare, primary care nursing, sewing, office and hotel cleaning, hairdressing, pattern making, personal assistance, social education, telemarketing and recreational and entertainment activities, among others.

Currently, data show that the female part-time employment rate has decreased in recent years, but there is still a significant gender gap in this indicator, higher by 10% to the detriment of women, according to data from the Observatory of Work and Productive Model of the Department for Business and Labour of the Catalan Government.

Part-time work mainly affects women and is one of the fundamental causes of the wage gap. Taking into account the negative impact that precarious working conditions have on the quality of the service provided, it was considered necessary to include an automatic calculation award criterion that positively values those offers that incorporate a higher percentage of workers contracted full-time in public contracts aimed at feminised sectors.