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| Overview |
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The primary goal of the ILO today is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.
Cutting across all the main four strategic objectives of the ILO is a strong gender equality policy. Men and women must have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for work that guarantees an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, ensures basic security in adversity and old age, respects human rights and allows for creativity and fulfillment.
The promotion of gender equality is enshrined
in the ILO Constitution. The Declaration of Philadelphia, which set
out the aims and purpose of the ILO in 1944, states that: "All
human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to
pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development
in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal
opportunities."
The ILO approaches gender equality as:
- A matter of human rights and an essential condition for achieving effective democracy - the fight against discrimination on the basis of sex is considered a fundamental issue in protecting human rights
- A matter of social justice, by improving women's access to employment and training, and their condition of work and social protection
- A matter of social and economic development, by promoting the participation of women in decision-making and in shaping development and labour policies and practices that adequately respond to equality objectives.
Two of the eight core Conventions are of special relevance for gender equality:
Central and Eastern European countries have faced deep changes in their economic structures as well as in political and social life on the road of transition and labour market restructuring. Consequently, the impact of economic transformation has been different for men and women. As a whole, the most pressing issues for women and gender relations in the world of work in these countries may be characterized as follows:
- Difficulties in securing employment and decent income in fluctuating labour markets
- Insufficient coverage and effectiveness of social protection and social services
- Inadequate participation of women in Social Dialogue and decision-making structures concerning the economic and political environment
Throughout the region, unemployment is more often a problem of women than for men, with higher unemployment rates. Unemployed women are also exposed to a greater risk of remaining unemployed for a longer time. In addition, women in most of these countries are affected to a great extent by hidden unemployment and work in the growing informal sector.
Gender segregation in employment still prevails in most Central and Eastern European countries. In the labour market, low-paid occupations in the textile industry, office work, health and education, public sector and services are as a rule female dominated. Women are very often paid less for equal work of equal value.
Social protection schemes and services have undergone major reforms in many of the CEE countries and changes are still ongoing. Due to budget constraints, subsidies and support infrastructure for the provision of social services such as child care have been cut back, thus shifting the responsibility more to the private sector and the family. As a result, social protection has become more precarious, and it has become more difficult for employees to combine their work, family and social responsibilities.
As a rule, Central and Eastern European countries have ratified the core ILO Conventions on gender equality and discrimination, thus legally guaranteeing equality between men and women. Nevertheless, in practice women still face marginalization and unequal treatment in the labour market, and especially in decision making
For further information:
Ms Verena Schmidt, Conditions of Work and Employment/Gender Equality >> more
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| Just Published |
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New ILO Global Report on Equality at Work 2007 - Despite major progress, workplace discrimination persists and is taking on new forms
GENEVA (ILO News) – Despite major advances in fighting discrimination at work, mounting inequalities in income and opportunities and significant and persistent forms of workplace discrimination are causing growing concern, according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO) published on 10 May 2007. more
Press release in English,
Albanian,
Bosnian,
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Romanian
and Ukrainian |
| ILO, UN deliver as one in Albania |
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A package for social and economic progress
The Albanian pilot of the One UN Programme will make use of the experiences of the International Labour Organization (ILO) gained in the field. As the only tripartite organisation within the United Nations system, the ILO plays a key role in involving social partners in the recently launched UN reform process. more
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