Decent work for young women

A youth unemployment rate of more than 45% among young women in 1997, in one country! Disturbing? Yes, but that country is not alone in high rates. In fact, the same report shows that out of the 18 countries studied, two others had youth unemployment rates of more than 25%, four more had rates of over 15%, and still seven others had unemployment rates of 10% or more. In all, fully 14 of the 18 countries had youth unemployment rates of 10% or more. Is it any wonder then, that policymakers and planners the world over are realizing the need to address the special employment problems of young people (aged 15 to 24), as well as the overall issue of providing decent work for both women and men. The employment problems of young women, which are unique in several respects, may not receive the attention they deserve.

The problems of youth employment and unemployment vary greatly from country- to-country. Given the great diversity in the nature of labour markets and in the nature of women's participation in the labour force, it is difficult to interpret available information on the employment and unemployment situation of young women. The problem is compounded by differences in definitions, age coverage, and classification and presentation of data. There is certainly a need to obtain more data on the population aged 15 to 24 with appropriate breakdowns by age, sex, rural and urban residence, educational attainment, skill levels, marital and family status, as well as labour force participation rates and characteristics.

Some of the available information is summarized in the chart below. The results suggest that unemployment rates of young women are higher than those of young men in some countries, but not in others. It is important to stress that unemployment rates are an imperfect measure, and such comparisons are fraught with difficulties. Compared to young men, young women are more likely simply to drop out of the labour force rather than being reported as unemployed. Also, young women are more likely to take up part-time work when full-time work opportunities are not available.

Rather than look at participation in the labour market in terms of unemployment rates alone, it is useful to view the process of young people passing through several stages along the path to the goal of decent work. In many countries and for many young people, especially women, the pathways can be very difficult to negotiate, with many obstacles, setbacks, exits and reentries. Unfortunately, at the end of the process many young women do not find decent work.

The pathways to decent work available for young women are often inferior to those for young men. In most developed countries a typical young woman in her early twenties would be in the fortunate position of being able to choose between further education, training or employment, though there may be some gender-based limitations on her choices and on their outcomes. Her counterpart in many developing countries may not have these options. She may already be married, with one or more children, she may be illiterate or have left school many years ago, and she may be desperately looking for whatever work she can find so that she and her children can survive. She may find access to training and the formal labour market barred by tradition or restricted because of gender discrimination. While the situation varies a great deal from country-to-country, some of the obstacles to securing decent work faced by many young women in developing countries around the world are common problems.

Common Problems in developing countries

Many young women cannot read or write
Labour force participation rates for young women are often much lower than those of their male counterparts
Early marriage is the norm
Young women are often mothers or already pregnant
Many young women are afflicted by HIV/AIDS

Young women, especially in developing countries, are often unable to take advantage of training opportunities due to barriers to entry, discrimination in selection, and gender stereotyping. Such stereotyping is found in vocational guidance and counseling on the part of school staff or employment services, leading young women not to choose training programmes which would have otherwise led them to better long-term earnings and status. In many countries, for example, young women are encouraged to train in household-related work, such as food preparation, garment manufacturing, embroidery, etc., while young men are encouraged to go for high-skill and modern technology-based training and employment. As a result, most young women end up in relatively low-skilled and poorly-paid occupations with little prospect of upward mobility.

Youth employment will not grow unless there is economic growth accompanied by the expansion of employment opportunities. Again, unless youth employment in general is growing, it is unlikely that the employment prospects of young women will improve. At the same time, policymakers and planners need to develop gender-sensitive youth employment policies and programmes. They should tackle the specific obstacles young women face along the pathway to decent work. These barriers arise from gender differentials - and the resulting inability to benefit from - access to education and training. While better access would help to increase the employability of young women, it needs to be supplemented by vocational guidance better suited to their capabilities and needs, as well as by gender-sensitive data collection and labour market information systems, and counselling and placement services to enable these young women to translate their aspirations into reality.

Gender! A Partnership of Equals
Geneve: International Labour Office, 2000. 115 p.

Youth employment
Decent work for young women

Gender! A Partnership of Equals Geneve: International Labour Office, 2000. 115 p.

Youth employment Decent work for young women

Gender! A Partnership of Equals
Geneve: International Labour Office, 2000. 115 p.

Youth employment
Decent work for young women