UNCSW.rights.en

Forum: UN Commision on the Status of Women

Issue: Ensuring women's rights in the working world

Chair: Alix Bonard

Introduction

This report focuses on the place of women in the workplace.

For centuries, all around the world, women have faced challenges in their jobs.

Despite the fact that their role, however paramount, was sometimes poorly acknowledged in society, women fought for their place in a world where being a woman is often a barrier in the access to financial independence and full autonomy.

Women's place and their consideration in the workplace, has not changed much (regardless of their social classes, origins, and conditions) in spite of the development of many domains over the past few years.

Whoever they may be, women should have the same rights as men. Unfortunately, a majority of them have already faced forms of violence or discrimination more or less frequently at every level. For some women it is the only situation they know. Their rights are not respected.

During the Human Rights Conference of June 25 1993 in Vienna, The Declaration and Program of Actions reaffirmed article 18: " The basic rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life, at the national, regional and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community."

According to ILO, approximately 50% of women in the world claim to have a job versus 77% of men in 2015. Among these 50% a majority hold precarious jobs which do not reflect their actual potential. Few of them have a job with responsibility because of discrimination and prejudice against women. It is necessary to deal with global sexism and to establish a sustainable gender equality to preserve and push forward tomorrow's world.

Definitions

Sexism:

A form of discrimination toward a person because of his/her gender, translated by derogatory or humiliating comments, contemptuous attitudes... In most cases, this notion concerns women and can be the result of beliefs in the domination of a gender over the other.

Discriminations:

By definition, discriminations are born from the decision to separate a person from a group because of one or more differences. This segregation can be the made by age, physical appearance, religious beliefs or origins.

Gender equality:

Equality between men and women. In the workplace or in the political area, it is about having the same number of men and women in the representation of institutions as well as equal wages.

General overview

Discrimination against women

Access to Jobs

Despite the general positive move forward for women’s rights this past century, there are still many barriers to gender equality. Generally, women are still associated with family obligations: as a mother, wife, etc. According to studies on the distribution of men and women according to the job, women are found to work mainly in education, health and social care sectors. In business sectors such as engineering, politics, military or public works, women are considerably underrepresented. 1 man out of 8 has a job with responsibilities vs. 1 woman out of 40 . Despite their diplomas or qualifications, they must struggle to reach "men's jobs" (segregation of jobs). Because of this, most of them choose part-time or precarious jobs. They progressively knock down women work stereotypes in a world dominated by men.

Discomfort and insecure jobs

Article 11 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) emphasizes some difficulties faced by a woman during her career. Indeed, a majority of women can face uncomfortable situations or even be fired while being pregnant. As a matter of fact, maternity leaves are often too short or even nonexistent and would place mothers in large difficulties in daily life and affect their performance in their jobs. In some business sectors, the possibility of women unavailability can entice an employer to hire a man. The dismissal case because of pregnancy happens mostly in countries where no system of protection has been set up.

Sexism and harassment

According to the French study of the Higher Council for Professional Equality Between Women and Men, there are several forms of sexism at work:

-Ambivalent sexism, which aims to give qualities or skills to a person according to his/her gender.

-Subtle sexism, which plays on the multiplication of acts or demeaning words generating social pressure within the company.

-Hostile sexism, which is to express openly humiliating remarks about the capabilities of a person with regards to his/her gender.

These different types of sexism are present on a daily basis in many women’s lives. Despite their positions, being female exposes them to disrespect and disparaging remarks. According to the High Council for Equality Between Men and Women, 80% of women, as opposed to 56% of men, face sexism in France. These incivilities, which could be difficult to denounce (for fear of reprisal), could trap women in a vicious circle of victimisation that sometimes pushes them to resign.

Moreover, this prevailing sexism in the women’s environment, is a form of harassment. According to a Trade Union Congress (TUC) study and the Everyday Sexism Project, 52% of women worldwide are victims of harassment: "many people think that sexual harassment in the workplace belongs to the past. In reality, it is present and has a huge impact on tens of thousands of women. It is a shameful attitude that has no place in 2016 "; Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism Project (Le Figaro, Alexandra Boquet section, 08/11/2016)

Gender equality

One of the main objectives of the Conferences on Women is to establish full gender equality.

Equality and autonomy of women

As previously mentioned, there are more gender-orientated lines of business. This uneven distribution has an impact on the equality of wages. Indeed, not working in the same sector, according to the report on the development in the world of 2012, "the economic space" of each individual is different.

According to UN Women, 43% of women in developing countries worked in agriculture in 2010. Female farmers would have 20-30% less output than their male counterparts because of the difficulty to access the right tools. In addition, few women have large areas of cultivable and profitable land (especially in Africa). In industrialized countries, the female entrepreneurs would lead small to medium-sized businesses. Besides, women often have to fulfil expectations linked both to professional and family success.

Disparities between men and women pay (for a position paying a dollar to a man)

Women spend more time than men to take care of their families and do housework everyday.

Women and men work in different sectors, Distribution of employment between women / men in the different sectors

In other cases, wage gaps exist between women and men in a same job. In Europe, women earn about 17 % less than men, due in large part to the inactive professional periods devoted to motherhood. This wage gap increases according to the importance to the job. These wage inequalities also impact these women’s pensions.

The most important step in the empowerment of women is access to a salary that can meet their needs. Now, women’s autonomy is a necessity.

Gender equality in politics

Gender equality in politics is a difficult goal to achieve. Although laws and resolutions on equality between men and women are voted and passed, diplomats aren’t all on the same note yet. The lack of legislation on women’s rights can be explained by the small numbers of women in parliaments. Women's concerns are not the same as men’s and are thus relegated to to the second plan.

In 2011, out of 192 heads of Governments / states, there were 10 female leaders (Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Finland, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Liberia, Lithuania, Switzerland) today there are only 9 left after the Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment in Brazil, and 10 female heads of government (Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Slovakia, Croatia, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago). In 2011, 11 countries still had no women in their Government altogether and only 4 countries had reached full gender equality (Cape Verde, Spain, Finland and Norway). In addition, that same year only 25,45% of women were members of the Government of the Member States of the European Union according to the Robert Schuman Foundation. Political gender equality is far from being ensured.

Inequality between men and women and discrimination against women are the major scourges that undermine women’s rights in the workplace. Today, no woman should have to face this. There still is a lot to do before reaching a fairer world. "All are equal before the law and entitled without discrimination to equal protection of the law." (article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

Countries and organizations concerned

The ILO (International Labour Organization) is an organization which is a member of the United Nations standards and international programs to improve the working conditions of all men and women in the world. This organization contributes largely to fighting gender inequality and to the empowerment of women. Thanks to the project for the economic development and the creation of jobs at the local level, in 2010, Sri Lankan women, for example, were able to find a job and access positions normally held by men.

UN Women is a branch of the United Nations which aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, to support the empowerment of women and their place as equals to men in the world. It is a merger between the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the International Institute of Research and Training for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender (OSAGI) and the Development Fund of the United Nations for Women (UNIFEM).

The rights of women in the workplace concern all countries of the world, regardless of their level of development.

(Graphics sources: world trends of the employment of women, 2008, international labour office, Geneva)

Distribution of employment status among women in the European Union and developed economies, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in North Africa

Distribution of employment status among women in Europe Central and Southeast and CEI, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in South Asia, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in Middle East, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in East Asia, 2007

Distribution of employment status among women in Latin America and Caribbean

In Malta, 49.3% of women had a job in 2014, including 14.0 to Parliament. The gap between men and women was of 25.6 points. Malta therefore ranked third in the countries with the lowest employment rate for women.

Turkey has about 9% of women in Parliament. In 2004, the number of women mayors represented 0.37% of the total. Aware of the need to have more female representatives, Turkey participated in the conference on women’s rights.

In Cameroon, CEDAW helped to develop substantial changes for women. Indeed, the Government distributed guides explaining women’s rights to the traditional leaders of the country, to change women’s conditions and to reach a form of equality between men and women. However, the small number of jobs available, even with a high level of education, isn’t enough to encourage women to work.

In Morocco, since 2004, women’s rights in the workplace have changed considerably.

Legal changes acknowledged the concept of sexual harassment in the workplace, and new laws passed on equality between men and women. These changes are due to CEDAW. Nevertheless, according to JICA, 53.5% of women in Morocco are economically inactive due to family constraints. These family constraints are estimated by 60% of the Moroccans participating to the study as an equivalent to economic activity.

In India, according to ILO, discrimination in the workplace is considerably present. Women work in low pay sectors such as agriculture, craft production or trade. Between 1994 and 2010, the number of working women in India has increased to 9 million, but according to ILO it isn’t much, considering that without this discrimination, the country could have doubled that number.

In China, there are many laws on equality between men and women. Theoretically, women have the same rights as men. However, in everyday life, Chinese women face discrimination: Chinese culture encourages men more than women. In addition, the 2011 report of the NGO China Labor Watch, describes women’s working conditions going against labor rights.

In Colombia, job discrimination and inequality between men and women is very present. Women earn about 25% less than men.

With less qualifications, jobs available to women range from domestic service to nursery assistants, and other low-skilled jobs. They become vulnerable to discrimination and harassment in their workplace. However, organizations like CCFD-Earth solidarity set up exchanges between women to change their visions of the future.

In Norway, discrimination and inequality at work are countered by effective legislation. During maternity, parents share periods of 49 to 59 weeks of paid leave. They also receive access to a place in kindergarten or else financial support. These devices are implemented by a law effective since January 1st, 2014. In addition, 40% of both sexes must be represented in corporative board meetings. Currently, a woman’s monthly salary is 85.4% of a man’s.

In Benin, there are 8.43% of women members in the National Assembly. 4.03% of political parties are led by women. The inequality in opportunity causes disparities in the workplace and hinders women’s empowerment in the rural world. The Swiss Cooperation in Benin tries to remedy this through interventions in different areas such as education, health, and rural development, to develop women's autonomy on an economic, political and social level. It should be noted that progress has been made: legislation starts to push for women’s rights. The differences in income between men and women are significantly reduced. The involvement of women in political decision-making has advanced.

Recent developments

Everyday Sexism Project is a project aiming to broadcast testimonies of women confronted to "everyday sexism". Thus, Laura Bates, founder of this project, spreads awareness of sexism and discrimination against women in the world.

Chronology :

1960: Sri Lanka, first female Prime Minister
1975: Mexico, Conference on the Status of Women to promote full equality between men and women.
1980: Copenhagen, World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, to promote equal access to jobs.

Iceland, first female President

1985: Nairobi, Conference to review and assess the results of the United Nations Decade for Women for gender equality in the political world.
1993: Vienna Conference on Human Rights, aimed at eliminating discrimination against women and promoting their full participation in life.
1995: Copenhagen, World Summit for Social Development, aimed at the elimination of discrimination in the workplace

Beijing, World Conference on Women to establish action plans to improve women’s lives worldwide.

2000: United Nations Headquarters, New York, the Millennium Summit, to establish the Millennium Development Goals. Target 3: 41 % of non-agricultural workers are women.
2005: Liberia, first female President in Africa

Beijing, United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to review the Millennium Development Goals, to reduce gender inequality and eliminate sexism.

2007 : Chile, first woman President in South America
2015:

Rwanda, 63.8% of women in legislatures
Bolivia, 51.3% of women in legislatures
Andorra, 50% of women in legislative assemblies (gender equality)
Cuba, 48.9% of women in legislatures
World, 17.5 percent of Ministers are women

2016 : South Korea, Croatia, Mauritius, Taiwan, Jamaica, Kosovo, Liberia, Malta, Namibia, Norway, Poland Germany, Bangladesh, Chile have female heads of State or Government

Solutions:

Promote women’s access to higher education.
Create courses preparing for entrepreneurship.
Encourage countries to establish associations (ex: Club Services) for women allowing them to fully integrate community life.
Encourage the creation of inexpensive systems of childcare during the women’s working hours.
Create exhibitions valuing women primarily in developing countries to encourage women to gain self-confidence.
Raise gender stereotypes awareness in girls.
Encourage the creation of days of position swap between men and women in businesses.
Encourage the creation of international newspapers dedicated to women.
Increase anti-sexism, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination legislation.
Create a minimum maternity leave.
Spread awareness on the forms of discrimination against women by means of new technologies (ex: games).
Develop anonymous recruitment criteria during the recruitment process: too many women are not accepted because of recruiter prejudice.
Strengthen the rules of application of conventional wages.
Encourage professional replacement by trainees during maternity leave.
Strengthen legislation on the contract of employment-related benefits.
Strengthen women’s health and security protection.