Full and decent work: intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of at work

Manuela Tomei ILO, TRAVAIL, Geneva

1 WhatWhat is is decent decent work? work?

• Decent work means work: –available to all those men and women who need or wish to work, and –executed in conditions of freedom and equality of opportunities, security and dignity

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 2 WhatWhat isis discriminationdiscrimination inin employmentemployment andand occupation?occupation?

« Any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation » (art. 1, ILO Convention No.111)

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 3 TheThe linklink between between decent decent work, work, gendergender , discrimination, andand violenceviolence againstagainst women women

• discrimination produces deficits in decent work, by

– limiting the range of women’s work opportunities and choices – reducing women’s income, economic and voice security – generating inequalities in labour market outcomes and well-being between men and women

• Gender inequalities perpetuate violence against women at work, in the community and the family

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 4 TheThe linklink between between decent decent work, work, gendergender discrimination, discrimination, andand violenceviolence againstagainst women women (continuation) (continuation)

• Violence at the workplace, in the community and the family are interconnected, but

• Each form of violence has distinct characteristics and requires specific responses

• Workplace violence can be addressed more readily than other forms of violence

• The elimination of discrimination and promotion of at work: key to attaining decent work for all and to combat violence against women in all spheres

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 5 TheThe costcost ofof discriminationdiscrimination

• Discrimination: – Produces emotional and psychological suffering – Entails a waste of human talents – Produces losses in labour productivity – Increases unemployment benefits, health care and long-term rehabilitation cost (in case of violence at work) – Undermines – Slows down efforts aimed at reducing

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 6 HowHow areare womenwomen faringfaring inin thethe labourlabour market?market? (data(data forfor 1996-2006)1996-2006)

Positive developments • The gender gaps in education are declining everywhere, and more women than men enrol in Universities in most regions • Lower fertility rates in some regions • Women’s entry into the labour market continues in a majority of countries (greater economic opportunities, greater needs) • Women’s employment-to-population ratios have increased in a majority of countries, while men’s ratios have declined • More women in high status-, although they still constitute a minority TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 7 Female-to-maleFemale-to-male grossgross enrolmenenrolmentt ratiosratios inin primary,primary, secondarysecondary andand tertiarytertiary education,education, byby region,region, (2002-03)(2002-03)

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 8 FemaleFemale sharesshares inin legislativelegislative andand managerialmanagerial positionspositions 19951995 andand 20042004 (%)(%)

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 9 HowHow areare womenwomen faringfaring inin thethe labourlabour market?market? (data(data forfor 1996-2006)1996-2006)

Pending challenges • Too many women still work without a pay • Women are over-represented among informal workers and “non-standard” or “non-regular” jobs • Women’s workload (paid and unpaid work) is higher than men’s, because of much higher hours in unpaid work for which demand is growing. • Women continue to earn on average less than men even for the same or similar work and for work of equal value

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 10 GenderGender paypay gapsgaps inin manufacturingmanufacturing selectedselected countriescountries andand areas,areas, 19951995 -- 2004, 2004, %% differencedifference betweenbetween femalefemale andand malemale wageswages

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 11 PercentagePercentage distributiondistribution ofof womenwomen woworkersrkers byby statusstatus inin totaltotal femalefemale employmentemployment byby region,region, 19961996 andand 20062006

Source: ILO, Global Employment Trends Model, 2006; see also Technical Note in ILO, Global Employment Trends (Geneva, 2005) and for further technical information on the world and regional estimation processes, see http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/wrest.ht m. Differences from earlier estimates are due to revisions in the labour market information used and the specific grouping of countries used in this report. The latter is taken from ILO, Key Indicators of the Labour Market, fourth edition, Geneva (2005). 2006 are preliminary estimates. TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 12 HoursHours inin paidpaid andand unpaidunpaid workwork byby sex,sex, selectedselected countriescountries

Spending long hours in paid and unpaid work

Paid Work Unpaid Work Total Bolivia Women 26 35 61 Men 42 9 51 Ghana Women 46.3 42.4 88.7 Men 47.9 9.1 57.6 Philippines Women 42.4 52.1 94.5 Men 48.2 31.6 79.8

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 13 Gender-basedGender-based discrimination discrimination thatthat persists persists inin contemporarycontemporary world world

• Discrimination in the allocation of jobs (occupational segregation) - Discrimination based on pregnancy and motherhood • Discrimination in remuneration • Unequal division of paid and unpaid work between men and women • Sexual harassment

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 14 WorkplaceWorkplace violence violence againstagainst women: women: TheThe casecase ofof sexualsexual harassmentharassment

• Sex-based or sexual behaviour that is unwelcome and offensive to its recipient (CEARC, General Observation of C. No. 111) • Sexual harassment may entail physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct • It is an affront to the and dignity of a person • It is an infringement on workers’ health and safety, and quality of work • Risk of exposure to sexual harassment varies across industries, occupations and nature of the workplace • Prevalence is greatest among young and financially dependent, single, separated, widowed and migrants

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 15 MutuallyMutually reinforcingreinforcing barriersbarriers towardstowards gendergender equalityequality atat workwork

Occupational segregation Sexual harassment

Gender discrimination Unequal division of in remuneration paid and unpaid work

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 16 WhatWhat toto do?do?

A combination of policy means is required:

A. Measuring and monitoring trends in women’s labour market outcomes relative to men’s – Some progress, but insufficient

B. Coherent and effective laws and enforcement mechanisms – Proactive laws versus individual complaint-based mechanism – Consistency between labour codes and civil or family laws and other bodies of law – Sanctions yes, but also incentives or promotional mechanisms – Lower obstacles towards access to justice

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 17 WhatWhat toto do?do?

C. A coherent set of public policy interventions that act simultaneously upon: – occupational segregation (e.g. , targeted ALM policies, women’s entrepreneurship development) – discrimination in remuneration (e.g. evaluation methods free of gender , minimum wage policies, review of occupational classification systems) – unequal division of paid and unpaid labor (work/family reconciliation measures, e.g. child care arrangements, maternity/paternity/parental leave, flexitime) – Sexual harassment (e.g. laws, codes of practice and guidelines, OSH workplace committees, awareness-raising and training on prevention techniques and post-incident management)

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 18 WhatWhat toto do?do?

• The sequencing and mix of these policy measures can vary depending on national circumstances

• Committed and well-equipped employers’ and workers’ organizations are essential

• Tripartite dialogue, i.e. Tripartite Commissions on Gender and Work in Southern Cone countries

TRAVAIL - Conditions of Work and Employment Programme 19 ThankThank youyou forfor youryour attentionattention

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