Policy areas

WORK & THE ECONOMY

 

Significant changes in the world economy, such as rapid globalisation and fast-paced technological progress, have shaped the economic realities of women and men in different ways. Women comprise an increasing share of the labour force in almost all regions of the world, and in many countries in the ECE region this has translated into a more equal status of women and men. However, women generally still suffer worse economic conditions than do men, although this is to a varying degree within, and between the countries of the ECE. Furthermore, the speed and scope of the economic transition in the 1990s in the CEE and CIS has had profound effects on gender relations and the lives of men and women in these countries. Poverty rose from 14 million people living on less than $4 a day in 1989 in the transition countries, to 147 million in mid-1990s, resulting in serious social fallout and inequalities. Women absorbed a disproportionately large share of employment cuts under transition, and the wage gap created under market conditions had increasingly negative impact on women’s economic situation.

 

Women and men’s access to economic resources is reflected in their participation in the workforce, the types of jobs they have, their working hours, the pay they receive and related social security. Women and men’s social position, gender roles, property rights and other statutory and customary rights also play a crucial role in defining the economic status of women and men. The following key issues underline some of the main gender issues related to work and the economy.

 

Labour force participation and type of work	The gap between women and men’s participation in the labour force is wide in many countries of the region. Women and men do not have equal access to paid work over their lifespan, with women experiencing more variations in connection with their reproductive years.
Labour market segregation	Women and men are concentrated in different sectors and occupations, often due to sex-based stereotypes. This can affect the economic and social security of individuals and families, usually to the detriment for women.
Unemployment	Women are often the first to be affected when job opportunities are lacking and more women than men are unemployed in the ECE region.
Entrepreneurship	In recent years, more women have become entrepreneurs in the micro, small and medium size enterprise sector, even though the number of women-entrepreneurs is still considerably lower compared to men entrepreneurs in the countries of the region. In some of the transition economies, the number of women entrepreneurs has increased considerably.
List of Work & the Economy Indicators recommended by the Task Force. View Statistics associated with this Policy Area.