Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming in Trade Unions Gender and Non Discrimination Programme ITC-ILO

Session Content The current context and gender equality Gender mainstreaming Trade Unions role on gender equality

Take 5 minutes and write down everything you do in a normal week day: Activity time For myslef only or for others Preparing breakfast 7-7:30 All the family Showering 7:30-745 Washing the kids 7:45-8:15 …..

Country Situation Review: Group Work 1 How has global economic crisis affected your country? What impact has it had on workers & trade unions? What has been the effect on women’s employment, working conditions & conditions of life? What has been the government response to tackling the effects of economic crisis? Has the global economic crisis affected women and men differently in your country? Were these measure targeting male or female dominated sectors?

WHAT IS GENDER? SEX BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS GENDER CONSTRUCTED ROLES AND RELATIONS Social Cultural Traditional Power relations…

WHAT? Education Ethnicity Religion, beliefs Gender Health condition Age Socio economic status

Gender Gender triple roles Stereotypes Affirmative action Equal chance Practical and strategic needs Gender/Sex discrimination Vertical/horizontal segregation

GENDER EQUALITY Women and men in the world of work equally contribute and have equal rights (de jure) but they still do not enjoy benefits and rights (de facto)

C. 111 - Discrimination (1958) Equality in opportunities In employment and occupations Training Working conditions C111 a few highlights: Article 2 Each Member for which this Convention is in force undertakes to declare and pursue a national policy designed to promote, by methods appropriate to national conditions and practice, equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation, with a view to eliminating any discrimination in respect thereof. Article 3 Each Member for which this Convention is in force undertakes, by methods appropriate to national conditions and practice-- (a) to seek the co-operation of employers' and workers' organisations and other appropriate bodies in promoting the acceptance and observance of this policy; (b) to enact such legislation and to promote such educational programmes as may be calculated to secure the acceptance and observance of the policy; (c) to repeal any statutory provisions and modify any administrative instructions or practices which are inconsistent with the policy; (d) to pursue the policy in respect of employment under the direct control of a national authority; (e) to ensure observance of the policy in the activities of vocational guidance, vocational training and placement services under the direction of a national authority;

DISCRIMINATION (C.111) any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation Do you know other types of dsicriminiations?

Maternity Protection C03, 1919 C103, 1952 C183, 2000

C. 156 Workers with Family Responsibilities , 1981 It promotes a real equality of opportunity and treatment in employment for man and women workers with family responsibilities

Gender Mainstreaming Giving equal opportunities and rights to men and women Transforming systemic inequalities in legislation, policies, programmes, etc into equal and just structures.

Equality and employement Today’s context GMS versus women specific Legal literacy Enforcement of Equality in national law and int’l convention TODAY’S CONTEXT -more women are in paid employment: increase in their productive role while still keeping their reproductive and family care role----double burden Globalization, privatisation, rising unemployment rates , growth of the informal sector, growth of atypical job, role of civil society, -In many country women account for close half of the workforce but the can’t claim the same improvement in terms of quality of employment -occupational segregation -More women are head of household and are still treated as secondary income earner -globalization: as women are generally poorer the negative impact of globalization is greater on women -women have greater need for social protection and health services… maternity, child care and support services GMS VERSUS WOMEN SPECIFIC -the purpose of both approaches yet complementory -both needed because: -give example of how it is assumed the women benefit equally from programmes in which no sex distinction is made between male and female Legal Literacy -what is the level of knowlegde in your organization about workers’s rights

Barriers to Women’s Participation and Representation What are the barriers Cultural Organizational Capacity-building Family responsibilities ….. -Because of their reproductive role, theri ascribed role in the household and care is not usually shared by spouse. Therefore the union should not only promote rights of women i.e. health services, child care but should put measuses in place to provide men with opportunities to share more in family responsibilities (parental leave) community unionism: p61 partership between labour and community: mobilizing in social issues, access to informal sector… touching more women’s issue than what is sometime possible within the conventional framework of the union Working with NGOs: some unions have a problem with this, the ILO as a tripartite organization does as it does not recognize the weight of NGOs in carrying women’s voice. It is an impediment as NGOs reprensents women’s diversity Understanding the work of unions: women don’t see the benefits, they fear reprisal as the feel more vulnerable and are often so Cultural values: lack of self-confidence, stereotypes as union try and change them. Make women visible and give them the training they need

What is the current situation in you your TU. How many w your TU represents? How many w on the board/top management? How is you TU representing (or not) w in these contingencies (C102)? Unemployment Family responsibilities Old age What could be done to consider include gender concerns?