Jobs need to be made more family friendly in order to tackle gender inequalities in the workplace, a European Union (EU) body has warned.
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) said women still faced significant barriers.
Its latest report, Foundation Focus, said women were likely to be paid less than men and were often segregated into certain sectors.
"More worryingly, further work-related consequences of the gender pay gap accumulate over the life course," Eurofound said.
"Adapting European jobs to become more family friendly is, therefore, not only good for workers and their families, but in fact necessary to ensure progress towards the ambitious objectives of making Europe the most competitive economy in the world."
Recent reports suggest that members of the eurozone are in line for steady economic growth this year and next.
But this follows a period of relative stagnation and EU leaders are keen to invigorate the economy to enable it to compete on a global stage.
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