Education Versus Unemployment? Women Concern
The impact that professional women have had in search of a job has been substantial. The worst thing is that female unemployment has existed for some time.
The Woman Post | María Carolina Rivero
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A report by the International Trade Union Confederation titled "Living With Economic Insecurity: Women in Precarious Work" revealed that recent international analyses by different authors emphasize the second wave of inequality impacts on women affects not only society but also families.
Jo Morris, a researcher in the trade union movement and political advisor, expresses the boom in precarious and informal work among women and analyses global trends from a gender perspective. The expert believes that women are the most affected in the labor force, argues that insecure employment and low incomes impair women's rights, and emphasizes gender inequalities in society.
The economic crisis due to the COVID-19 affected women differently than men. However, women have been affected by unemployment, job insecurity, low wages, and cuts, all of which limit their ability to feed, educate and care for their children.
The Best Path to Female Employment With Equal Rights
According to notes by the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean and published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the female sector has been the most affected by unemployment in the labor market during the last decade. However, women's participation stagnated by approximately 53% due to existing gender gaps and access to opportunities and rights between men and women.
That is why ECLAC provides some recommendations for equality in the labor market, including guaranteeing quality jobs where they recognize the levels of professionalism of women.
The Enigma of Female Unemployment
A recent study, "More Than 4 Million Women Have Not Been Able To Return to Work in Latin America and the Caribbean" by the International Labor Organization (ILO), reveals a high unemployment rate of 16.4%. Even high informality and excessive care work help to increase gender gaps and inequalities.
ILO's report showed that the measures to address the health emergency and its impact on the female workforce were rapid. The data collected shows that during the COVID-19 health crisis, approximately 23.6 million women's jobs were lost in 2021. By that date, however, nearly 26 million men's jobs had been restored.
Roxana Maurizio, an expert and regional specialist in labor economics at ILO, says that the pandemic exacerbated the inequalities and gaps that were being addressed. However, the most vulnerable are rural women, heads of households with young children, women without education, indigenous women, and Afro-descendants.
Also read: THE WORLD NEEDS TO ACTIVATE A DIFFERENT ECONOMY FOR WOMEN
Vinícius Pinheiro, Director of the International Labor Organization for Latin America and the Caribbean, believes that women face a serious setback in gender equality in the workplace. Therefore, it is necessary to redouble efforts to recover lost shares and generate better opportunities.
In short, considerations on equality and eliminating gender gaps must be structured. All of this should be based on programs and initiatives to promote the insertion of women in the workplace.
