Gender equality
Updated: 15 July 2026
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Working life research
Barbara Gerstenberger
Barbara Gerstenberger is Head of the Working Life unit at Eurofound. In this role, she coordinates the research teams investigating job quality in Europe based on the European Working Conditions Survey and industrial relations in the EU. She joined Eurofound in 2001 as a research manager in the then newly established European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC). In 2007, she moved to Eurofound’s Information and Communication unit as Head of Communication Products, before being appointed Coordinator in the Directorate in 2011. Previously, she worked as senior research officer in the European Metalworkers’ Federation in Brussels. A graduate in political science from Hamburg University, she completed a Master's degree in Public Administration at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Topics of expertise
Barbara is an expert in the following topics.
Research outputs
Barbara is the author of the following publications.
Events, podcast and blog
Barbara has contributed the following events, blog posts and podcast episodes.
In-person event
External event
High Level EU Presidency Conference on Equality
DateWednesday, 9 September 2026
LocationDublin, Ireland
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This event is in the past
Online event
Own event
Virtual Visit to Greece: Minimum wages - What next?
Presentation slides now available!
DateTuesday, 30 June 2026
LocationOnline
This event is in the past
14 April 2026
Blog post
Four decades of data reveal a European workforce transformed beyond recognition
Eurofound's 2024 Working Conditions Survey charts how digitalisation, demography and climate change have reshaped European labour over 35 years.
6 March 2026
Podcast episode
Is work in Europe more stressful for women?
In a special video recorded for International Women's Day at the European Parliament’s VoxBox Studios, Maria Walsh MEP and Eurofound’s Barbara Gerstenberger analyse key gender equality findings from a survey of over 36,000 workers across 35 countries. Their conversation highlights how women have been impacted by significant shifts in the workplace, particularly regarding modern challenges like burnout and technostress.
Online event
Own event
Watch the webinar - AskTheExpert: Beyond the data - Uncovering persistent inequalities in European working conditions
DateWednesday, 24 September 2025
Time15:00h‒16:00h (Irish local time)
LocationOnline
30 June 2025
Podcast episode
The evolution of working conditions in Europe
This episode examines the evolving landscape of European working conditions, situated at the nexus of profound technological transformation.Mary McCaughey speaks with Barbara Gerstenberger, Eurofound's Head of Unit for Working Life, who leverages insights from the 35-year history of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). This survey series offers a granular perspective on the longitudinal shifts in European labour.The discussion assesses how artificial intelligence and digitalisation are reshaping employment, drawing parallels with historical industrial shifts, while acknowledging the continuous adaptive capacity of the world of work.
In-person event
Joint event
Foundation Forum 2025: Europe’s social model – the key to competitive growth
Event recording available
Date19 – 20 November 2025
LocationDublin
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This event is in the past
2 May 2024
Blog post
Future of work: Are we ready for tomorrow?
Part of the blog series: '10 reasons to Use Your Vote'.
4 March 2024
Podcast episode
Tackling the gender pay and employment gaps
In this special episode of Eurofound Talks for International Women's Day 2024, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Barbara Gerstenberger about the gender pay and employment gaps in Europe.Despite gender equality being a core principle of the EU, women are less likely to be in employment than men in all EU Member States and are paid less than men in almost every Member State, with the pay gap larger in higher paying jobs. Mary, Carlos, and Barbara discuss what progress has been made on these issues in recent years, the broader consequences of gender inequalities in the world of work, and the challenges that must be addressed if Europe is to meet gender equality targets.
25 October 2023
Blog post
Gender equality – What’s next? Let’s focus on the world of work
The jury is still out on the question whether men and women are from distinct planets. When it comes to the world of work, however, the evidence shows that they are worlds apart.
8 February 2023
Podcast episode
Job quality
The COVID-19 pandemic had profound implications on the labour market and job quality in Europe, with some workers, particularly those providing frontline services, continuing to work from the workplace under heavy restrictions, while others worked from home also in radically different environments from which they were accustomed. Eurofound has been closely monitoring working conditions in Europe for over 30 years via the European Working Conditions Survey; in 2021, the Agency conducted the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS), providing a detailed picture of the working lives of Europeans at an exceptional time. In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Eurofound Head of Unit for Working Life Barbara Gerstenberger discusses what the EWCTS reveals about job quality, the implications of poor-quality jobs on well-being and broader society, and what policymakers can do to improve the working lives of people in Europe.
17 January 2023
Blog post
Job quality is pivotal in addressing today’s workplace and societal challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. With the lifting of restrictions across the globe, we are now able to examine the many repercussions on the world of work. In particular, the unique demands of the last few years have shone a harsh spotlight on the pressures brought to bear on different jobs and on certain work environments and the stresses associated with different forms of work. The pandemic has made us reassess so many aspects of our working lives. But has it changed the way we think about job quality – its role in ensuring a good working life and, indeed, a good life in general? The European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS), a representative survey of Europe’s workers conducted by Eurofound in 2021, provides some answers.
9 May 2022
Podcast episode
Living and working in Europe: Past, present and future
This podcast focuses on our annual update on the state of ‘Living and working in Europe’. It highlights trends and changes – both positive and negative – in the way citizens across the EU work today, and serves as a guide to policymakers at EU and Member State level. Our experts detail these with useful examples and insights which might also help face into the challenges raised by the most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey.
1 December 2021
Podcast episode
Sustainable work
Never before have we had so much discussion about the way we work, the future of work and how this will impact our lives and those of the next generation. COVID-19 turned everything upside down as we have seen from the results of our unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey and we are still striving to make sense of the new hybrid, blended work experience. Will this in fact mean we can finally work longer and better while still maintaining a good quality of life? This podcast takes a deep dive into the opportunities and challenges associated with what we call ‘sustainable work’.
Other unit members: Working life research
Find more staff members of this unit below.
Documents
The following documents are available for download.
