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Wage, workplace equality for women still remains elusive
Women s wages continue to lag behind those for men doing comparable work in Industrial ized countries and the gap Is even larger in developing countries despite global effort to narrow the difference, says the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO).
The earnings of women working full time have In creased as a percentage of men s earnings In some coun tries, says the ILO. In the United States, for example, they rose five percentage points between 1979 and 1988 to 65 per cent of men s wages, according to the fLO s 1992 "World Labour Report, released this month. However the few gains were offset by decreases elsewhere and in Industrialised countries "women still earn typically between 50 and 80 per cent of men^^^C^thejjegort
Lack of physical strength and a difference 1n psychology cal make-up are common reasons given for women’s lower working status In both industrialised and developing countries Women also enter the .work force later than men. have less training, begin with lower status jobs, and "have
less education, especially in less developed countries." says ILO's Director-Oencral Michel Hanscnne in a press statement accompanying the labour report.
-The primary Justification given for workplace Inequality, says the report, is that women arc seen as responsible for the social reproduction of the family." which Includes child rearing, preparing food and keeping the house, and they "are treated as second-class workers because of this." These responsibilities either cut Into a woman's opportunity for outside work, or — more often — are performed in ad dltlon to outside work, creating a "double burden." the report says.
In most industrialised and developing countries, women work many more hours per day than men when family responsibilities are included. Smaller families and labour-savingtechnologies allow women in Industrialised countries to spend less time on housework. However, there is still and enormous "double burden" in developing countries where few time-saving technologies are available. In Africa, for example. women work 15 more hours per week than men. says the report. "Even in Cuba where men are legally sup posed to assist women with housework. 82 per cent of women in Havana have sole re , sponaibility for domestic chores." This issue of family responsibility must be ad-
dressed by .central and local governments, employers, trade unions, workers and community groups. says the report.
Informal Labour Force
Official statistics show women currently making up 31 per cent of the formal labour force in developing countries. "But many women actually work In the Informa) sector unseen by many collectors of statistics." the JLO report says. During difficult economic times In the Industri-alised world and also during the economic restructuring in former communist countries, women are entering the Informal labour force to maintain living standards when men lose their Jobs, according to the report.
Female participation in the
formal labour force Is high In Africa, where 80 per cent of food producers in some coun Iries are women while Arab countries have the lowest rates. Only 8 per cent of women are officially employed in Algeria and 10 per cent in Egypt because of "considerable social cultural and often legal barriers." the report says Many women in Arab countries do work on family farms, but are not considered part of the formal labour force. More Entrepreneurs
In industrialised countries, the number of women entrepreneurs is growing, the report says noting that two-thirds of new businesses in Canada are started by women. In addition. Women now enter professions other than traditionally female fields, largely due to legislative changes In some of these countries that have expanded women's op portunities for careers for example, tn the armed forces and in the police.
Nearly 75 per cent of women who work in industrialised countries are In the service sector, 15 to 20 per cent in industry and 5 per cent In agriculture says the report. "At the same time the share of women among managerial and administrative workers has been rising faster than their share In total employment particularly in the United States Canada, and Sweden."
The so-called "gins, celling." however continues to blbck the career advancement of qualified women to the top level of established corpora Hons. In Japan, "the major company Toshiba had only 10 women among Its 7,000 man-
agers." the report says.
Other Barriers
Women encounter other barriers, says, the report. While many women receive the same basic income as men they do not get the same additional payments such as those based on seniority. Furthermore while legal provisions which require "equal pay for equal work" are common in industrialised countries, they are not applicable to all occupations.
"It is within the power of policy makers everywhere to make a departure from the past and Intensify efforts to advance women In the economic sphere," says Hansenne Some countries now give Incentives which help to equalise the work place. In the United Slates for example, "moat gov ernment contracts are awarded only if companies comply with affirmative action programmes", the report says. Unless there are more efforts worldwide however, the female share of the global work Ing population is projected to decrease from 36.5 per cent In 1985 to 35.5 per cent by the end of this century. — Washington Economic Report*