1. Gender issues and gender equality in social security/ social protection

2. What is social security/ social protection?
Protection from vulnerability and deprivation
Social security: protection against loss / reduction of income due to: - sickness - maternity - employment injury, invalidity - unemployment - old age - death of breadwinner
Social protection: social assistance, social insurance (statutory), other measures (non-statutory) and social services (-> broader than social security)

3. Gender differences in the labour market -> gender differences in social security
Women: lower benefits, fewer women insured
More absences from work, longer absences (childcare)
Informal employment / occupations w/out social insurance
Unpaid family workers (agriculture, small business)
Lower wages
Lower employment participation

4. Gender and social protection
Risks are not evenly distributed among members of society
Differences in risks because of demographic characteristics, economic status, physical/mental condition, age, lifestyle
Differences between women and men - because of biological differences (maternity) - because of gender inequality, social norms
There are differences in risks, but there are also differences in treatment of women and men in social protection

5. Unequal treatment of women and men in social security
Justified unequal treatment: Maternity protection ensures that employment does not endanger women’s reproductive role and health of mother & child
Unjustified unequal treatment: Discrimination direct discrimination indirect discrimination

6. Maternity protection
Basic rights: - maternity leave - cash benefits - employment protection, non-discrimination - health protection - breastfeeding provisions
Challenges: - achieving broad coverage (e.g. informally employed, agricultural employment) - ensuring effective implementation - distributing costs fairly - including men around maternity (e.g. paternity leave)

7. Discrimination in social security
Direct discrimination - assumption: women have different needs; women gain their entitlements through male partners - different contributions, different calculations (e.g. life expectancy estimations in pensions) - advantages for women (earlier retirement)
Indirect discrimination formal equality, but differences in practice because of - occupation (e.g. informal employment; low-pay work) - gendered social norms (mothers take childcare leave)

8. Specific characteristics of women in the labour market
Reconsider access criteria – Are women disproportionately excluded from social security? Are women working in sectors and jobs with more limited access?
Reconsider redistribution – Is the gender wage gap reproduced in social security benefits?

9. The gender role division of childcare and care work
Measures to promote a more equal sharing of family/ care responsibilities between women and men
Specific incentives for men to take over a greater share of care work
Recognition of unpaid and care work in the social security system (e.g. caring credits in pensions)

10. Key policy issues for gender equality in social security
Adequate, comprehensive maternity protection in place and implemented
Specific characteristics of women in the labour market considered
Gender role division of childcare taken into account; efforts to increase male involvement in unpaid care work

11. Maternity protection and work-family reconciliation: International Labour Standards
Convention 183 maternity protection
Health and safety of mother & child
Protection against economic vulnerability and discrimination
Core elements: leave, cash & medical benefits, health protection, employment protection & non-discrimin., breastfeeding
Binding standards
Convention 156 workers w/family responsibilities
Equal opportunities between women and men w/family resp. and between workers w/family resp. and others
Both women and men
Non-discrimination, national policy on reconciliation
Progressive application
Promotional character of Convention

12. Workers with family responsibilities: International Labour Standards
C 156 Workers with Family Responsibilities (1981) and Recommendation 165
Aim of national policies:
enable workers with family responsibilities to engage in employment without discrimination and, to the extent possible, without conflict between their (paid) work and family responsibilities

13. Definition: Workers with family responsibilities
Family responsibilities refer specifically to responsibilities in relation to dependent children and other family members who clearly need care and support
Workers with family responsibilities are women and men
National definition of the family applies

14. Measures to promote work-family reconciliation
Leave policies: allowing absences from paid work for caring responsibilities
Working time: making working and family responsibilities compatible; giving employees more control to organize their own working time
Childcare services - other services: reliable, accessible and affordable; at times when needed
Other benefits: family benefits, measures to lighten unpaid care work etc.
Promoting gender equality: equal access / treatment of women and men; specific measures addressed at men

15. Video on stereotypes

16. ILO Maternity protection package
Benedetta Magri Short