Volume. 4 of the ILO Century Series with Palgrave Macmillan gathers newest research from 14 scholars, renowned experts, as well as emerging scholars. It takes up two research topics, which are both essential, and so far under researched. One, the role of women’s organizations and networks in shaping ILO’s policies for women workers. And two, the way labour standards affecting women have been negotiated, applied and used by policy makers in various local constellations throughout history. The contributions analyse women’s struggles to influence ILO’s policies in the Interwar Years, or the essential question of equal pay after WWII. They also touch upon contemporary challenges such as migrant care workers and surrogate maternity.

The volume is more than an insider account and delves deep into ILO’s impact with respect to women’s labour and global activism. It probes ILO’s promises, limits and also addresses global socio-economic trends that affect women unfairly. These include, and are not limited to, issues such as migration, expansion of the informal economy and the growth of specific service industries such as domestic work.