GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Office (ILO) will mark International Women’s Day 2009 with the launch on Thursday, 5 March, of a new report assessing the impact of the global financial crisis on women in the world of work.

In addition, the ILO will also hold a panel discussion on Friday, 6 March, on the impact of the crisis on the sharing of work and household responsibilities between women and men.

Global report

The report entitled Global Employment Trends for Women 2009 will provide an update on the projected impact of the economic crisis from a gender perspective based on the latest data on both male and female labour force participation, unemployment, and vulnerable employment at the global and regional levels.

The report will be launched at a press conference in Geneva at the Palais des Nations, Room III, Thursday 5 March at 1.30 p.m. Speakers include ILO Employment Sector Executive Director, José M. Salazar-Xirinachs, the ILO Bureau for Gender Equality Director Jane Hodges and ILO Employment Trends Unit economist and report co-author Theo Sparreboom.

The Global Employment Trends for Women 2009, along with a press release and video material, will be available on request from the media under embargo for publication on or after 1700 GMT on 5 March 2009, and be posted on the ILO website at the time of the embargo. Interviews can be scheduled with ILO experts. For media queries, please contact the Department of Communication at +4122/799-7912, communication@ilo.org, For broadcasting queries or video coverage please contact Karen Naets-Sekiguchi at naets-sekiguchi@ilo.org or +4122/799-7935.

Panel discussion

The ILO will host a tripartite panel discussion on the theme Work and family: The way to care is to share!. The panel will discuss the impact of the global economic crisis on work and households, as well as good practices by countries, and workers’ and employers’ organizations in addressing the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men.

Work and family is also the March theme of the Gender Equality at the heart of Decent Work campaign (https://www.ilo.org/gender/Events/Campaign2008-2009/lang--en/index.htm), a twelve-month campaign launched in June 2008 to increase general awareness and understanding of gender equality issues in the world of work.

Special guests include:

 

• Ms Bibata Niandou Barry (Minister of Women’s Promotion and Child Protection – and recipient of the MDG3 Torch, Niger);

 

 

• Mr. David Loughman (Managing Director of A/S Norske Shell, Norway);

 

 

• Ms Francisca Jiménez (Vice-chair of the Women’s Committee of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), Dominican Republic).

 

The panel discussion will be held Friday, 6 March - 10.00 a.m., at the ILO headquarters, in Geneva, 4 route des Morillons, in the Governing Body Room, Level R3 South. Simultaneous English, French, Spanish interpretation will be provided.

For further details on the International women's day 2009 please visit: http://www./ilo.org/gender/Events/lang--en/WCMS_101670 or contact Iselin Danbolt at danbolt@ilo.org or +4122/799-6281, interviews can be scheduled with the special guests before or after the event.