Women, Employment and Empowerment through Participation

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Women, Employment and Empowerment through
Participation
The Social Forum Fourth Session Commission on
Human Rights Geneva, August 3-4 2006 Mary Kawar
- International Labour Organisation-
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• objectives
• Concepts, trends and goals
• Assessing the situation What are the persisting
  and emerging issues for women and economic
  participation?
• Addressing gender equality in employment the
  international and national levels
• Moving forward Key policy messages

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1. Concepts, trends and goals

• What is empowerment and why do we need it?
• Why is employment a major entry point to promote
  womens empowerment? The equity and efficiency
  approach

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1. Concepts, trends and goals

• What is the ILO Decent Work Agenda and why do we
  need it?
• To promote opportunities for women and men to
  obtain decent and productive work, in conditions
  of freedom equity, security and human dignity 

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2. Assessing the situation Womens participation
increased but still not equal to men
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2. Assessing the situation gender gaps in
participation still persist
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2. Assessing the situation Wage gaps still
persist in all regions of the world
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2. Assessing the situation Women still dominate
the informal economy
Region Percentage of employment in Informal Economy from total employment Percentage of women workers in the Informal Economy
Sub saharan Africa 72 84
Latin America 51 58
Asia 65 65
North Africa 48 43
SourceUNIFEM Progress of Worlds Women, 2005
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2. Assessing the situation The emerging
influencing factors

• Global economic integration
• Liberlisation, trade and investment
• Labour market flexibility
• The care economy
• Feminisation of migration
• HIV AIDS

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3. Addressing gender equality in employment The
international level
CEDAW

The Convention on the elimination of
discrimination against women adopted in 1979 by
the UN General Assembly defines what constitutes
discrimination against women and sets up an
agenda for national action to end such
discrimination
Copenhagen 1995
Gender equality, poverty reduction and full
emplyoment at top of agenda
Beijing 1995
Women and the economy priority area of concern
Millimium Development goals
Goal Number 3 to promote gender equality and
empowerment of women Employment not explicit as a
goal Employment under MDG indicator 11 of Goal 3
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3. Addressing gender equality in employmentGood
practices from the national level

• Improving conditions in the informal economy
• National Policy for Street Vendors in India
• Voluntary Scheme for health and pension for
  informal economy workers in Costa Rica and
  Thailand
• Affirmative action to combat discrimination
• Women in public works in Madagascar
• Civil service gender and race equality quota in
  Brazil
• Terms of trade
• Improved terms of trade for coca beans
  cooperatives in Ghana
• Labour inspection and complaints mechanisms
• Labour inspectors specialised in discrimination
  in Brazil and El Salvador
• Agencies with power to initiate investigations
  and legal actions in Ghana, Hungary and Eygpt.
• Representation and voice
• National union for domestic workers in Trinidad
  and Tobago
• National network for home based workers in the
  Philippines
• Workplace equal opportunity measures
• The business case for equality more equality
  policies more productivity

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3. Addressing gender equality in employment The
strategic levels at the national level
A Combination of Actions

Participation
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4. Moving Forward Key Policy Messages on
promoting gender equality in employment

• The strategic approach
• Equity, efficiency and anti-poverty arguments
  form the main rationale for a focus on gender
  equality in employment
• There is a need for an explicit gender equality
  agenda, from the level of employment to training
  policies, to institutional strengthening, down to
  local governance
• Concept of women as vulnerable and dependent
  should be replaced focusing on their value as
  actors and catalysts for change
• Decent work for all must be prioritised by the
  policies and actions of all actors (local,
  national and international) in order to succeed
  in creating the conducive environment for poverty
  eradication, gender equality and empowerment.
• The policy levels
• Gender equality and decent work should be of
  central concern to economic policies (e.g.
  fiscal, trade and investment) as well as
  regulatory frameworks.
• Social/family policies should enhance the
  participation of women in the labour market
  through parental leave, child care support and
  flexibility in work place/time arrangements.
• Expand employment and social protection policies
  to include the informal economy and especially
  home workers. These policies should also include
  targeting vulnerable groups who might face
  multiple constraints/discrimination.
• In addition to labour codes, regional and
  international trade agreements must include
  gender equality dimensions and proper mechanisms
  for monitoring and compliance

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4. Key Policy Messages continued

• Improving access to training, employment,
  services and markets
• Provision of quality public services for all
  people including education and training
• which is essential for expanding womens
  opportunities to participate in the economy,and
  in promoting their social inclusion.
• Womens access to new opportunities relating to
  non traditional occupations should be facilitated
  in addition to access to finance and to local and
  global markets
• Ensuring rights
• The changes in labour relations and patterns
  should not lead to reduction in levels of social
  protection and workers rights
• Governments should fully implement international
  standards on gender equality namely CEDAW and ILO
  gender equality conventions and establish
  functional monitoring mechanisms
• Affirmative action is needed which promote
  equality of opportunity by both national
  legislation and employers CSR (e.g. access to
  training, pay equity, gender balance in
  recruitment, representation in higher positions,
  equal access to training and promotions). Another
  set of measures are related to balancing work
  with family responsibilities.

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4. Key Policy Messages continued

• Participation and collaboration
• The participation of civil society, including
  trade unions and employers organisations is
  necessary for the success of any policy process.
• Social dialogue is a key pillar for decent work
  and should be explicitly recognised.
• Trade Unions have a key role to play in
  empowering women and particularly through
  strengthening their negotiation skills.
• Decentralisation through enhancing the role of
  local authorities and actors in policy making
  should be stimulated
• Monitor improvements in gender equality
• Develop systematic indicators in order to be able
  to measure achievements in gender equality in
  employment over time.