Ensuring Equality Policy Priorities & Practical measures for giving young women and men equal opportunities

What practical measures are needed ? At present most countries have overall principles of equal opportunity enshrined in their legislation or constitution Yet there are still problems concerning discrimination, and unequal opportunities for young women and men in the employment and education - so what is going wrong ? In many cases this is largely the result of failure at the implementation stage (there may in some cases even be little or no attempts to put the policies into practice) Need for other practical measures and attitudes of governments, employers, trade unions, educational institutions and other community groups to be reviewed in the light of equal opportunity policies.

What are the issues and challenges ? To provide equal access to education opportunities To provide equal access to training opportunities To provide equal access to labour market and employment opportunities To provide equal access to information To remove cultural barriers To remove legislative barriers To have access to reliable and useful statistical information Awareness of concerns of all groups in policy development

Practical measures to provide equal access to education and training opportunities Establish policies to allow equal access to all young women and men to education and training opportunities where they do not exist. To implement practical measures to encourage educational and training participation of young women and men in non-traditional areas. Government to take the leading role in development and implementation of these practical measures, with support from both employers and trade unions and educational institutions.

Practical measures to provide equal access to labour market and employment opportunities Governments to establish practical measures to undertake to develop mechanisms to adequately implement existing equal opportunity policy/legislation. –Equal opportunity commissions (and similar institutions) –Tripartite participation in implementing equal opportunity legislation, (and other community groups) Existing equal opportunity and discrimination legislation to be reviewed with regards to ability for people to actually make use of them –Including sensitivity to cultural and other legislative barriers

Practical measures to equal access to information To ensure that access to information regarding labour market, education and training opportunities is available: –equally to all young women and men, –to those in rural as well as urban areas Practical to ensure that dissemination of information regarding advise on careers and job pathways is available equally.

Practical measures to remove cultural barriers Practical measures of education / curricula are integrated with the ideals of equal opportunity, to encourage promotion of these ideas within the community. Teaching during school levels to assist in breaking down the preconceived conceptions of the roles of men and women, and the rights particularly women to equal opportunity. –This is particularly important in cultures in which women do not feel able to exercise their equal rights, especially with regards to registering complaints of discrimination.

To remove legislative barriers Governments to ensure other existing polices and legislation do not conflict, directly or indirectly, with the objectives of equal opportunity policies. –Eg. Restrictions on property rights of women in some countries may lead to women finding it more difficult to source finance to start a business.

To have access to reliable and useful statistical information Governments to ensure that there exist statistical agencies which are able to provide useful, timely, and accurate data for both young women and men. –Identification and Analysis of problems, and problems areas –Assessment of outcomes from policy and programs.

Awareness of concerns of all groups in policy development Policy makers to ensure that existing and future equal opportunity policies and their implementation take into account the interests, and difficulties faced by a broad range of groups in society. –Women and Young workers are not homogenous groups. –Other minority groups. –Governments and other policy makers to include avenues for feedback and assessment from interested parties during and after the policy making process.

Who should take the lead? The governments a primary policy leader in consultation with private education providers, trade unions and employers, Families/ Communities/Media and Political activists. The government as provider of mechanisms and also trade unions employers etc, as implementers, and monitors within each organisation and dialogue The Government as provider of infrastructure with United Nations (UN), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and World Bank assistance Government take the lead the role with employers as providers of data Government lobby groups

Who should take the lead? The governments a primary policy leader, provider of mechanisms and in consultation with private education providers, trade unions and employers, Families/ Communities/Media and Political activists, lobby groups. The government as provider of mechanisms and The Government as provider of infrastructure with United Nations (UN), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and World Bank assistance Government take the lead the role with employers as providers of data Government

Time Frame? Depends on the lead Agency and differences in the national consultations which of course will take time.