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6 February, 2007January 2007
USW women march against the Iraq war in Washington, DC, on 25 January 2007
1. Bahrain – Women Are Still Badly Paid
2. Canada – New Federal Policies Affect Women’s Equality
3. European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – Gender Equality Report Released
4. European Union – 2007 is Equal Opportunities Year
5. International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Helping Women Helps the Economy
6. India – SEWA Marks Achievements in 2006
7. OECD – Women Scientists Wanted
8. Palestine – Seminar Held on Democracy and Women’s Rights
9. South Africa – NUM and SINTIQUIGRA Have Women’s Exchange
10. Spain – The Government Legislates on Dependent Care
11. Resources
1. Bahrain – Women Are Still Badly Paid
The Bahrain Centre of Studies and Research has published findings which indicate that only 9.9% of women are in leadership positions, a fact which also has a bearing on their earnings. With gender bias still predominant, women’s salaries are low in spite of their qualifications. Most women are in low-end jobs such as secretaries, receptionists, and clerks. Their main problems involve working time, holidays, working environment, and low pay.
The women surveyed work in industry, tailoring, construction, finance and insurance, tourism, hospitality, and other services. A full 60.7% of the women surveyed had university degrees. Some companies were also surveyed, and their opinions of women employees in their employment were largely positive.
Some 70% of those companies deny there was any discrimination on the basis of gender. The study found, “…gender had no effect on a worker’s productivity, continuation of work, ability to develop themselves and creativity in their companies.” It also said that women’s looks or attractiveness did not affect their ability to be hired.
2. Canada – New Federal Policies Affect Women’s Equality
The Canadian government enacted many changes in 2006 that adversely affect women’s equality, including cutting and changing programmes that benefit women. The government rejected the recommendations from the Task Force on Pay Equity and refused to broaden maternity and parental leave coverage. The women’s programme no longer speaks of equality.
The Early Learning and Childcare agreements were cancelled with the provinces, instead of following recommendations to strengthen them. Housing subsidies were cut, and legal aid programmes were reduced for people who needed to fight against discrimination. In general, women now have less economic equality and less access to affordable childcare. Status of Women Canada saw its budget cut by C$5 million with the argument, “women are already equal.”
3. European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – Gender Equality Report Released
On 29 January, the European social partners ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, and CEEP released a report which showed progress in the field of gender equality.
The social partners have integrated the gender equality actions defined in 2005 into their activities in 20 countries. Actions have been taken, such as negotiating collective agreements, discussing with authorities, designing gender equality projects, and developing projects to tackle equality gaps. Work-life balance was the theme of many of the activities.
The work done in this area included introducing or extending care leave, preventing long working hours, promoting flexible and innovative forms of employment such as telework.
Equal pay was one other area where information and guidance tools were developed, training schemes were carried out, studies and statistics were produced to deal with the pay gap. Labour market segregation and under-representation of women in decision-making were also contemplated.
More follow-up actions are also planned at European, national, cross-industry, sectoral, and company levels.
4. European Union – 2007 is Equal Opportunities Year
The aim of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All is to make people aware of the right to equality, and to reinforce the message that all people have the right to equal treatment without discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnic or racial origin, religion or conviction, incapacity, age or sexual orientation.
One other aim is to boost participation in society on the part of groups who have suffered from discrimination as well as to increase equal participation by women and men. The ultimate goal is to celebrate diversity and equality. All people have a positive contribution to make to society. Stereotypes must be eliminated as well as prejudices and violence.
The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All was launched officially at the EU Equality Summit held on 30 and 31 January. In spite of the progress achieved so far at European level in eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities, much remains to be done, and hopefully more positive steps will be taken in this year. For more information, see:
http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/cha/c10314.htm.
5. International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Helping Women Helps the Economy
A recent IMF study indicates that gender inequality hinders economic growth. Higher rates of economic growth and macroeconomic stability will stem from greater gender equality. Lowest-income countries with the highest degrees of gender inequality should take the benefits of policies into account, which reduce inequality.
The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals expressly link economic progress to the realization of equal opportunities for women. Women’s status should be raised, and the gaps between men and women must be eliminated.
Women’s and men’s economic behaviour differ. For example, women tend to spend more on a household’s basic requirements and to make the most of children’s potential. Women save more and invest in more productive ways. Women’s lack of education, health care, and economic and social opportunities hinders economic growth.
The study suggests that when women’s access to education, health care, employment and credit are improved, and when differences between men’s and women’s opportunities are narrowed, the pace of economic development speeds up and poverty is reduced.
For more see the IMF Working Paper No. 06/232, “Gender Budgeting,” and No. 06/233, “Gender and Its Relevance to Macroeconomic Policy: A Survey,” both available at www.imf.org.
6. India – SEWA Marks Achievements in 2006
The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India held its annual meeting from 10 to 12 January, and was able to celebrate victories in 2006. To start with, the union grew to 965,000 members with membership growing in various states.
SEWA managed to win legal battles for vendors in Gujarat and Indore, obtained identity cards for paper picker women, made gains in SEWA insurance, launched a new pension scheme by SEWA Bank, among other achievements.
At a conference, the Prime Minister of India agreed to establish a national policy for home-based workers. Nevertheless, the government of Gujarat state continues its repression and intimidation of SEWA. SEWA is not clear about the reasons for the attacks by the government, except that the union speculates that the government does not like a growing and empowered organisation of poor working women who believe in the Gandhian ideology of unity across castes and religions.
Ela Bhatt, the founder of SEWA, was honoured with a series of international awards throughout 2006.
7. OECD – Women Scientists Wanted
OECD science ministers are trying to get more women into research. Women make up only some 30% of researchers. It is increasingly important to attract, recruit, and retain women scientists because of the need for more scientists and technology specialists, the ageing workforce and youth’s lack of interest in science.
One reason why women are not attracted to science jobs is because of trouble with work-life balance. One major problem is the requirement for mobility in early years.
About one-third of US university professors are women, but the figure is lower in the EU, Australia, and Korea, where it is 14.5%. Women make up less than 20% of senior academic staff in the EU, which means that there are not enough role models to encourage women to embark upon similar careers.
The number of women researchers is on the rise, however. In the EU, the number of men in science and engineering increased by 4.9% from 1998 to 2002, while the number of women rose by 4.2%. Women tend to work more in biology, health, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, with lower numbers in physics, computing, and engineering. Most women researchers in OECD countries work in the public sector, while men work in industry.
Only 17.5% of women researchers in the EU and 6% of women in Japan work in business, yet nearly two-thirds of women researchers in the US work in industry or business.
8. Palestine – Seminar Held on Democracy and Women’s Rights
Twenty women participated in the seminar organized by ICEM affiliate General Union of Petrochemical, Mining, and Chemicals Workers in Palestine (GUPMCWP) on democracy and women’s rights.
Dr Nuza, head of the women’s committee, explained that the seminar continues the union’s education programme to raise women’s consciousness and to encourage women to participate in the political and economic fields, thus enabling them to reach decision-making levels. The union started such training programmes for women in all areas, and Dr Nuza called upon the women to participate more and more.
Women’s creativity is important for their participation. The participants stressed the importance of the training and called for it to be extended.
9. South Africa – NUM and SINTIQUIGRA Have Women’s Exchange
This project was conceptualized in 2003. The Secretariat of both unions met in Mozambique and discussed common issues that affect them both. Out of that, what was agreed upon between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa and Sindicato Nacional Dos Trabalhadores Da Industria Quimica, Borracha, Papel e Grafica (SINTIQUIGRA) was a program of action for three years, which included an exchange programme of women structures from the two unions.
The activity, held 22-26 January, was the second leg of the exchange programme in which 31 women and one man participated. Fifteen of the participants were from Mozambique.
The objective of the workshop was to strengthen women’s understanding of labour law, health and safety, and employment equity, as well as transformation issues in the mining and energy sectors. At the political level, the African National Congress’ Women’s League secretary general made a presentation on the challenges facing women, particularly working class women in South Africa.
What was concluded was that the third leg of the exchange will take place in the last week of August 2007, where the South African women will be hosted in Mozambique. What was agreed was that in between, the two unions will invite each other when they have activities on labour law, occupational health and safety, HIV/AIDS, and women’s empowerment.
10. Spain – The Government Legislates on Dependent Care
The number of dependent individuals in Spain is increasing rapidly. The growing demand for dependent care is largely related to the rapid aging of Spain’s population: 30 years ago, 9.7% of Spain’s population was over 65 years of age (3.3 million), where today, that percentage has increased to 16.6% (6.6 million).
Furthermore, the number of Spaniards over 80 has doubled over the past 20 years. Thirty-two percent of the population over 65 years of age has some kind of disability, as compared with 5% of the remaining population.
In 1999, taking into account all age groups, approximately 9% of the Spanish population had some degree of disability that required special care. Traditionally, this care has been provided by family members, particularly women. The growing participation of women in the work force, together with the breakdown of the extended family, has sharply increased the social service requirements of this dependent population.
Comisiones Obreras comments on the new legislation as follows: “It establishes the right to care, and co-financing (central government, regional government, and the individual with dependency if his earnings/properties are sufficient).
But the specific mechanisms by which the system will work have yet to be established …The system will create many new skilled and unskilled jobs, and be good for employment. However, its application requires more trained personnel in the social service sector than what schools are currently providing …The Law barely touches the need for coordination with the health system, in spite of its importance.
“We are aware of the fact that we will have to put a lot of work into the application of this law, and pressure on administrations to make sure they take it seriously and get it right. Nevertheless, we consider that this legislation is a huge and necessary step in the right direction.”
11. Resources
The State of the World’s Children 2007, see www.unicef.org/.
For books on women and development, see www.womenink.org.
Human Rights Watch 2007 Report, www.hrw.org/wr2k7.
Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace, www.learningpartnership.org/news/events/2007/
wsfjan21panel.
www.genderaction.org highlights the gendered impacts of World Bank and IMF policies, including news about oil’s gender impacts in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Sakhalin.