ILO: More women enter the workforce, but more than half of all working women are in vulnerable jobs

7 March, 2008. Geneva-Kyiv. More women are working than ever before, but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic rights nor voice at work according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO) issued for International Women's Day.

"Global employment trends for women - March 2008" ^*/, released on the occasion of International Women's Day, says that the number of employed women grew by almost 200 million over the last decade, to reach 1.2 billion in 2007 compared to  1.8 billion men. However, the number of unemployed women also grew from 70.2 to 81.6 million over the same periiod.

"Increased labour force participation of women is a welcome and important contribution to economic development," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.  "The model to aim for is one in which women are able to contribute to growth and, at the same time, enjoy the economic and social benefits of participating in decent, non-vulnerable work. Unfortunately, this remains a model and not yet a reality in most regions".

The report shows that improvements in the status of women in labour markets throughout the world have not substantially narrowed gender gaps in the workplace. The share of women in vulnerable employment-- either unpaid contributing family workers or own-account workers, rather than wage and salaried work-- decreased from 56.1 to 51.7 per cent since 1997. However the burden of vulnerability is still greater for women than men, especially in the world's poorest regions.  

Other key findings of the report:

▪ Worldwide, the female unemployment rate stood at 6.4 per cent compared to the male rate of 5.7 per cent 

▪  Less than 70 women are economically active for every 100 men globally. Remaining outside of the labour force is often not a choice but a cultural imposition. It is likely that women would opt for remunerated work outside the home if it became acceptable to do so. 

▪  At the global level, the female employment-to-population ratio - which indicates how much economies are able to take advantage of the productive potential of their working-age population - was 49.1 per cent in 2007 compared to a male employment-to-population ratio of 74.3 per cent.           

▪  Over the past decade, the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the prime employer of women. In 2007, 36.1 per cent of employed women worked in agriculture and 46.3 per cent in services. In comparison, male sectoral shares were 34.0 per cent in agriculture and 40.4 per cent in services. 

▪  More women are gaining access to education, but equality in education is still far from the reality in some regions.  

New policies for promoting female employment 

The report points out that for many women, moving away from vulnerable employment into wage and salaried work can be a major step toward economic freedom and self-determination, and that the poorer the region, the greater the likelihood that women remain among the ranks of the contributing family workers or own-account workers.

Access to labour markets and to decent and productive employment is crucial in the process of creating greater equality between men and women, says the report. The study observed that the most successful region in terms of economic growth over the last decade, East Asia, is also the region with the highest labour employment-to-population ratio for women (65.2 per cent), low unemployment rates for both women and men and relatively small gender gaps in sectoral as well as status distribution. Nevertheless, the region still has a way to go in improving the quality of jobs available to women.             

Central & South-Eastern Europe (non-EU) & CIS : Aspects of gender equality declining 

Historically, gender equality was a major characteristic in the region and some indicators still confirm signs of this trend. As discussed in last year's Global employment trends for women,[1] there was greater wage equality in the planned economies of this region than in industrialized or developing economies. Also, unemployment rates are lower for women than for men, as are the share of those working in vulnerable employment. In 2007, the male unemployment rate of 8.7 per cent exceeded that of females (8.3 per cent). (Nevertheless these unemployment rates continue to remain above the global average.) Interestingly enough, the youth unemployment rates showed an opposite picture, with a higher rate for young women (17.9 per cent) than for young men (16.9 per cent). This should be seen as a warning sign that gender equality in labour markets has started to deteriorate.  

Overall, the report found that policies to enhance women's chances to participate equally in labour markets are starting to pay off, but the sluggish pace of change means that disparities are still significant. Most regions have still a long way to go in working towards the economic integration of women and as a result a huge potential for economic development remains to be tapped.

Broadening access for women to employment in an enlarged scope of industries and occupations will be important to enhancing opportunities for them in the labour market, says the report. Society's ability to accept new economic roles for women and the economy's ability to create the jobs to accommodate them are the key prerequisites to improving labour market outcomes for women, as well as for economic development on the whole.

"Access to labour markets and to decent employment is crucial to achieving gender equality," says Evy Messell, Director of the ILO's Bureau for Gender Equality, which will host a discussion by women who have made a mark in the world of finance and eminent trade unionists on International Women's Day , focusing on the value of investment in women's development. "Yet women have to overcome many discriminatory obstacles when seeking jobs. Societies cannot afford to ignore the potential of female labour in reducing poverty, and need to search for innovative ways of lowering economic, social and political barriers. Providing women an equal footing in the workplace is not just right, but smart."

PHOTO: Self-employment: Women in Sri Lanka earning through painting ceramics and pottery, a traditional artform handed down from generation to generation. Photo ILO/Y.R. Perera    

^*/          Global employment trends for women -March 2008, International Labour office, Geneva, 2008. ISBN 978-92-2-121034-4 (print)ISBN 978-92-2-121035-1 (web pdf)