By Assistant Director Advocacy, Ulla Madsen
Taken as a starting point in the “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action” (1995), “women and economy” was highlighted as one of the 12 critical areas. The 189 governments that signed the document, committed themselves to undertaking concrete action to address specific objectives towards enhancing women’s positions in the economy.
The situation has changed over the last 25 years, however, we are far from achieving equal access to economic resources, although women today are farmers, factory workers, CEOs of companies, scientists, engineers, doctors, and hold many other jobs that may have been unthinkable in the past.
Women have vast and positive impacts on the economy, in business, agriculture, and industry, and as domestic workers, market vendors, migrant workers, and through their unpaid care work. Despite some progress, obstacles to women’s full and equal participation, including the lack of an enabling environment, persist.
In spite of strong evidence that realisation of women’s economic rights, especially in terms of work and income, advances economies and sustainable development, women still remain disproportionately affected by poverty, lack of land and inheritance rights, and discrimination and exploitation in the labour market. Early and child marriages, as well as lack of access to education has negative impacts on women’s lives and well-being, as well as their human potential and economic contributions. Though progress has been made on ensuring primary school education for all girls, access to secondary and higher-level education remains a challenge in some countries for girls, limiting potential choices in employment.
The pandemic of violence against women also has a profound impact on families and communities, hampering development, and costing countries billions of dollars annually in health care costs and lost productivity. Women are particularly vulnerable economically. Globally, women’s personal finances are weaker than men’s, and their position in the labour market is less secure. Moreover, women are more likely to be single parents who will be hit harder by the economic downturn that is now in full swing. Gender parity has a fundamental bearing on whether or not economies and societies thrive. Developing and deploying one-half of the world’s available talent has a huge bearing on the growth, competitiveness and future-readiness of economies and businesses worldwide.
Given that the COVID-19 crisis affects men and women in different ways, measures to resolve it must take gender into account. For women and girls, vulnerabilities in the home, on the front lines of health care, and in the labour market must be addressed. Women make up 70% of all health and social-services staff globally. Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence increases during crises. Women earn just 81 cents for every dollar men make. Regardless of where one looks, it is women who bear most of the responsibility for holding societies together, be it at home, in health care, at school, or in caring for the elderly. In many countries, women perform these tasks without pay. Yet even when the work is carried out by professionals, those professions tend to be dominated by women, and they tend to pay less than male-dominated professions.
One good thing that could come out of the pandemic is that governments and the society in general have become aware that women working within health care and social-services are absolutely indispensable. They should be much more appreciated by being paid a decent salary and equal to men and appreciated for their courage and for being one of the pillars that hold together the society.
UN declares 18 September as International Equal Pay Day
The Gender Gap Report 2020 made by World Economic Forum states that “In 2020, the Global Gender Gap score (based on the population-weighted average) stands at 68.6%. This means that, on average, the gap is narrower, and the remaining gap to close is now 31.4%. This year the progress has not only been larger than in the previous edition, but also more widespread: out of the 149 countries and economies covered both this year and last year.” No country to date has yet achieved full gender parity.
The Global Wage Report 2018/2019 by the International Labor Organization (ILO) finds that differences in the levels of education between men and women, who work in paid employment, play 
a limited role in explaining gender pay gaps.
“In many countries women are more highly educated than men but earn lower wages, even when they work in the same occupational categories. The wages of both men and women also tend to be lower in enterprises and occupations with a predominantly female workforce. To reduce gender pay gaps more emphasis therefore needs to be placed on ensuring equal pay for women and men and on addressing the undervaluation of women’s work” (source: Global Wage Report).
According to the report, a more equitable sharing of family duties between men and women would in many instances lead to women making different occupational choices.
Surprisingly, the evidence shows that even before women reach motherhood, there is already a pay gap. This suggests a need to combat stereotypes and discrimination at the point of entry into the labour market. According to the ILO this pandemic crisis has had an unequal impact on women. The hard-won but modest gains made towards gender equality in recent years are likely to be wiped out and targeted policies are needed and funding to close gender gaps, support women entrepreneurs, improve working conditions, and boost the care economy.
Workplace violence assumes many forms and women are often particularly vulnerable Sexual harassment also represents a significant barrier to women’s access and equitable treatment and opportunities in the labour market. Such violence is unacceptable and is a violation of the most basic human rights.
“The gender pay gap represents one of today’s greatest manifestations of social injustice, and all countries should try to better understand what lies behind them and accelerate progress towards gender equality,” said Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General. Please check the SI blog, 17 June 2020 by UN Representative. Geneva, Berthe De Vos, “Momentous Victory Against Violence and Harassment in the Workplace”.
According to the statistics and what we experience ourselves, women and girls still have a long way to go to obtain equal access to education, equal pay for equal work, equal access to buy land, equal access to have an bank account, free of harassment, sexism and violence at the working place and at home and in general obtaining the same human rights as men being half of the world’s population. I am sure that we can make a difference to reach the goal by pushing governments even harder to sign and implement agreements made, by developing partnerships with other organisations with the same goals and values and most importantly that we as Soroptimists stand together and continue to transform the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities.