Enhancing peace and economic prosperity through women's leadership and inclusion in the Republic of Moldova

In Moldova, gender inequality is intersectional, as it is linked to economic, age, social, residential, cultural, ethnic, and other factors, and requires differentiated solutions. The employment rate decreases when women have children (57.8% - no children, 51.4% - one child, 47.6% - 3 and more children) due to the low capacity and availability of early childhood education facilities (only 15% of children aged 0-3 years receive quality childcare services). Working conditions for women in the childcare sector are precarious in terms of low pay, long working hours and informal employment (27% of women work in informal jobs in this sector). Investing in childcare services would create an additional 2,700 new jobs and increase the female employment rate by 8.4%, which could lead to an increase in GDP per capita of 2.6% within 10-15 years.

The project will address various challenges women face in entering the labour market and developing their businesses, such as access to childcare, the gender pay gap, gender stereotypes, and supporting job creation for women at the policy, institutional and beneficiary levels. First, at the policy level, the project will focus on promoting gender mainstreaming, equal pay and improved childcare services to be integrated into the policies, programs and budgets of national institutions. The project will also contribute to the development of an improved social protection system for care workers and advocate for decent working conditions in this female-dominated sector. Second, at the institutional level, the project will support various organizations, such as childcare service providers and social partners, to strengthen their capacity to provide quality services in the area of working conditions for care workers, gender pay gap and workplace policies. Key stakeholders, including women-owned businesses, employers, and professional associations, will be technically and financially strengthened to promote job creation in the care sector.