Women’s Rights and Recession

• Real Global Pay Gap is higher - 22%

• Recession hits women in developing countries worst

• Contract labour and agency work hit women hardest

Global Campaign

for Decent Work,

Decent Life for

Women

Global Campaign forDecent Work, Decent Life for Women

Objectives:

• Decent work for women

• Gender equality in trade union structures, policies and activities

Decent Work:

Access to productive work in conditions of

freedom, equality, security, and dignity.

The four pillars of Decent Work:

1. Standards and rights at work,

2. Employment creation

3. Social protection

4. Social dialogue.

The Real Position of Women

1.2 billion women are

working today (40%) –

yet women: • earn 12 to 70% less and do

not have the same level of social protection as their male counterparts;

• account for an increasing proportion (60% - 70%) of the world’s poor and working poor;

The Real Position of Women

• Face a higher level of unemployment than ever before (81.8 million women in 2006);

• Are concentrated in low-paid, unprotected, temporary or casual work;

• lack maternity protection rights and face violence and sexual harassment at or near the workplace;

The Real Position of Women

• 1 in 3 beaten, coerced into sex, other wise abused

• Women aged 15-45 are more at risk of death and disability through domestic violence than through cancer, motor accidents, war and malaria

The Real Position of Women

• Key victims of armed conflict

• Majority of all in forced labour or trafficked

• Issue comes far down the media reporting list

• Particularly life threatened circumstances in Export Processing Zones

ITUC Gender Wage Gap Report

• Worldwide media coverage - released on 7 March 2008 in > 20 countries

• Analysis of pay gap in 63 countries; 30 European, 33 across the rest of the world

Visualizing the global pay gap

Visualizing the European pay gap

ITUC GlobalGender Wage Gap Report

2009

• Worldwide pay gap of 22% not 16.5%;

• Trade union membership and particularly inclusion of women in collective agreements has a positive influence on the gender pay gap.