The missing half: transforming women’s work in the Caribbean through gender-responsive employment policies

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (ILO News) — Despite decades of sustained advocacy and targeted policy interventions, women’s participation in economic, political, and social life remains uneven and constrained. Amartya Sen, the Indian Nobel Laureate, once powerfully argued that no aspect of development is more important than the full and equal participation of women. While the progress made in the past thirty years is considerable, the pace remains slow, and the destination distant.

Over the past 25 years, labour market indicators provided a revealing story of women’s employment in the Caribbean. In 2000, female labour force participation stood at 54 per cent, compared to 72 per cent for men. By 2024, women’s participation increased to 57 per cent, while men’s declined slightly to 71 per cent. Excluding Haiti, the female participation rate remains unchanged at 54 per cent, highlighting that much of this progress has been more statistical than structural.

Once you exclude unemployed jobseekers from the statistics, the outlook for women is even bleaker. In 2010, just 48 per cent of working-age women were employed, compared to 64 per cent of men. By 2024, the statistics have barely shifted: 49.7 per cent for women versus 63.9 per cent for men. The persistent gap and stagnant progress suggest that, for many women, meaningful employment remains frustratingly out of reach.

Unemployment rates tell a similar story. In 2010, nearly 15 per cent of working-age women were jobless, compared with 10 per cent of men. Fourteen years later, the statistics remain the same: 14 per cent for women, 9.4 per cent for men. This means that women continue to face structural barriers to find jobs even though the labour market conditions have modestly improved.

For those women who do find work, job quality remains a major concern. Over half of employed women work in informal employment with limited rights and protection. The social protection coverage is also limited. Only four Caribbean countries guarantee at least 14 weeks of maternity leave, and none provide long-term caregiving leave.

Women’s work matters as much as how many are working. Over 86 per cent of the Caribbean women are employed in the service sector, while just 13 per cent find employment in industry, compared with 24 per cent of men. This lopsided distribution leave women disproportionately overrepresented in lower-productivity, lower-wage jobs, making them particularly vulnerable to economic and climate shocks. Additionally, the gender pay gap is persistent: ILO’s estimates show that women, on average, earn 20 per cent less than men. Such a discrepancy is an indefensible form of inequality.

What can countries do to address the gender disparities in the labour market? Three policy priorities are proposed:

1. Promote full compliance with ratified international labour standards, including the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111). Also strengthen national legislation to advance gender equality in the world of work. As a priority, consider the ratification of key instruments that safeguard gender rights, such as the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), and the Maternity Protection Convention 2000 (No. 183).
2. Support the development and implementation of policies that recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work responsibilities between women and men. As a first step, promote the measurement of time use to better understand the distribution of unpaid care responsibilities. Such data can inform targeted interventions and help ensure that care work is valued and share more equitably across society.
3. Promote gender-responsive employment policies to facilitate inclusion and address discrimination in the world of work. This includes promoting better working conditions in sectors where women are overrepresented, whilst also removing barriers that hinder women’s entry into higher-paying and traditionally male-dominated sectors such as manufacturing.

Achieving gender equality in the Caribbean labour market is essential for inclusive development. Women continue to face persistent barriers to decent work, equal pay, and social protection. Progress demands gender-responsive policies, stronger legal frameworks, and recognition of unpaid care work. As Eleanor Roosevelt aptly put it, “No country can possibly move forward if half of its people are left behind.”