2017 International Women's Day

"Women in a changing labor world: Towards a 50-50 planet in 2030"

by María Eugenia Pérez Zea, Chairperson of the ICA Gender Equality Committee

The world of labor is a crucial scenario for the development of women and men in which wide gaps and gender disparities persist.  Women are still given job opportunities, and are treated and evaluated differently in the workplace, around the world. 

Today the international organizations that advocate this issue continue to show us truly worrying figures. Women account for less than 40 percent of the total employment in the world.  The chances for women to participate in the labor market remains almost 27 percent points lower than that for men.  Women are more likely to be unemployed, with unemployment rates of 6.2 percent compared to 5.5 percent for men.  The wage gap is estimated at 23 percent which means that women earn 77 percent of what men earn.

We are still facing a pending issue. Poverty continues to affect women more, they have a greater overall workload, there is a gap in labor participation, higher unemployment rates and a greater insertion in the informal sector of the economy. Women have less access to social security and are overrepresented in the sectors of lower productivity, status and income.

The quality of women's jobs remains a challenge, and it is the same for formal as for informal employment. Although half the working women in the world earn a salary, this does not guarantee them a better-quality job.  In fact, it is known that 40 percent of formal women workers do not contribute to social security systems in their countries.

A major concern of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) refers to the areas of discrimination that are new or not visible yet, such as the "feminization" of women migrating or the discrimination based on immigration status including harassment, exploitation, denial of social security, and very low salaries.

Other areas of special attention are the low participation of women in collective bargain agreements. The increasing unemployment rate among young women and the discrimination based on sexual orientation leads to harassment at work and wage discrepancies ranging from 3 percent to 30 percent.  Also, it is important to look at the number of retired women who receive a pension which is 10.6 percent points lower than that of men, demonstrating that almost 65 percent of the people over the age of retirement not receiving a regular pension are women.

In a labor market where an autonomous personnel is continuously predominant, the geographical mobility, input value, computer networks, telecommuting, social networks, and new business models that challenge traditional structures and entrepreneurship, female empowerment and access to suitable education for women and girls are crucial. We must help them prepare for a new world, ensuring that innovations, far from creating new gaps and reasons for discrimination are new paths for a different way of incorporating women in the employment industry. This all becomes a challenge when we take the 5 million to 7 million job eradication expected to decline by 2020.

Another phenomenon that is rooted in the basis of several types of discrimination are gender stereotypes and society's expectations regarding the roles that women must assume. From the ICA we consider this a matter of great concern, since it overlaps the models of aging, social organization and cultural patterns, in a society that diminishes what is "feminine" from all aspects viewed.

Far from a romantic vision, we collaboratively bet on a society that values indicators of well-being and happiness, more than the economic and financial. Therefore, in the basis of all actions we must maintain and advocate the restoration of work and family life.

A pre-requisite for these purposes is always education, the principle of principles in a cooperative philosophy. Today, 62 million girls all over the world, between the ages of 5 and 15 do not attend school, or are lagging in academic progress of their upper secondary educations.

We have been warned from other international agencies that if these current trends prevail it will take more than 70 years to completely fill gender wage inequality, and facing this does not only depend on better levels of economic growth in these countries. It is imperative that we transform favorable working and social environments for women to achieve a 50-50 planet by 2030, and a precondition for meeting the sustainable developmental agenda.

In commemoration of the International Women's Day, from the ICA, we extend the call to the world's cooperatives strengths with our commitment to the daily Sustainable Development Goals, and to maintain our adherence to cooperative principles and values as powerful strategies to address persistent gender inequalities in the work industry. Collaboration between cooperatives in support of these purposes is vital, as well as a strategic alliance with governments and other economic sectors of development.

2016 International Women's Day

1) by Monique Leroux, ICA President

Today we celebrate “Women’s Day.”  “Women’s Day” was originally called “International Working Women's Day.” Work, and I mean decent work, is central to the original idea of women’s day.
 
Co-operatives provide women with a workplace to develop their potential. A place where their participation is warranted by the co-operative values and principles.
 
The theme of 2016 Women’s Day, is “step it up for gender equality.” It is part of the United Nations (UN)’s Planet 50/50 program for gender equality. It is a call on citizens and governments, to step it up, and take action.
 
The Alliance is enthusiastic about the United Nations 50/50 program. The UN have made equality a full part of the sustainable development goals. This is because equal chances for women are part of the solution to achieve global, sustainable growth.
 
Co-operatives are a powerful lever to create these equal opportunities because co-operatives are based on self-help, participation, education, and inclusion. Co-operatives are schools of emancipation. Indeed, by voting and voicing their opinion, women learn to take charge.
 
But, to take charge, women need access to finance. And, again, co-operatives provide accessible financial services. Financial co-operatives and mutuals serve the world’s most remote regions, where big business doesn't have franchises. Work opportunity and conditions for women have improved over the decades. But considerable distance remains to be covered.
 
As we face major global challenges, and to build a better world, we need the full engagement of ALL co-operators. We need YOU, co-operators, to free the potential of women, economically, and politically.

Communities where men and women participate in a balanced way, are more resilient, more thriving, and more human.
 
I thank you, dear co-operators, all over the world, for promoting equality. Make continued education for women a priority in your co-operative. Educate on democracy by encouraging women to engage and to vote. Make access to education for women and girls a priority.
 
As president of the co-operative movement, businesses based on the principle of equality, I call on you, co-operators, to take action, to close the gender gap, and to build a better world.
 
Now is the time to Step It Up!

2) “Gender equality for sustainable development and a better world” by María Eugenia Pérez Zea, Chairperson of the ICA Gender Equality Committee

Gender equality has been widely recognized not only as a fundamental human right but also as the necessary basis for achieving world peace, prosperity that benefits all and social, economic and environmental sustainability.

The most important global principles and commitments, including the “Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,” “Agenda 21,” and the “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,” have provided highly valuable proof on the symbiotic relationship between gender equality and sustainable development, as well as global guidelines for action.

From its beginnings, the co-operative movement has also shown the potential of its basic values and principles, and organizational structure, in achieving equal opportunities for men and women in terms of sustainable development.

Gender equality as a condition for development is implicit in the foundations of co-operative movements. We know that providing women and girls with equal access to education, medical care, a decent job and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will drive truly sustainable economies and social justice.

We have put different institutional mechanisms, legislative provisions, policies, programs, and plans in place to promote gender equality and bring about development that is focused on sustainability—an intrinsic value to the cooperative movement. Nonetheless, it is clear that there is still a way to go in valuing and sufficiently appreciating the contributions that gender equality and women’s empowerment can make to sustainable development. We recognise that as a movement, cooperativism still has a major role to play in this sense.

This is precisely the appeal we are making this year within the framework of celebrating “International Women’s Day (IWD).” The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), through the Gender Equality Committee, is urging its member organizations and all co-operative members around the world to come together once more through global initiatives and get involved in the “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” campaign.

The campaign theme for this IWD 2016 defines the challenges for all humanity from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set out in Agenda 2030, and positions gender equality and women’s empowerment as fundamental pillars in facing up to them.

In the co-operative movement, we are convinced that we should not only make strides in gender equality for sustainable development but also be forceful and ensure we are on the right path so as to eliminate the discrimination that still impacts women’s lives today; this discrimination is most often seen in gender division of work, unequal access to productive resources and their benefits, limitations to participation in decision-making processes and access to public authority in its different manifestations.

Although the co-operative movement has been making huge efforts for Planet 50-50 and taken strides towards gender equality, and despite progress having been made in the “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in recent years, women and girls across the globe continue to suffer discrimination and violence whilst major gender inequality endures in social, economic, political and environmental spheres.

However, beyond being victims, women play a fundamental role in development and in achieving the SDGs, with many goals specifically recognizing equality and empowerment as part of the solution and as goals themselves.

Taking a decisive step also means recognizing the great gap in achieving gender equality at co-operatives whilst being aware of our huge potential to contribute to the solution. Since all aspects of life are related to gender equality, we need to continue in our efforts to eradicate gender discrimination wherever we come across it.

As co-operatives, we need to significantly increase investment in initiatives that aim for gender equality and women’s empowerment at both a local and national level. Agenda 2030 offers an exceptional framework to move forward.

Our presence, representation and defense of the contribution made from the co-operative sector in gender equality debates should be proactive in every country to ensure our experiences and contributions to achieving sustainable development are visible, shared and acknowledged.

Unity in approach and action in the co-operative movement is essential to move forward in achieving this equality within a timeline of one co-operative decade.

This celebration is an exceptional chance to continue to shape a common vision and renew our commitment as co-operatives so as to play a role in development processes, strengthen institutional frameworks and ensure our management, action and funding mechanisms take gender and the fundamental role of women into account.

You are all called to make this great leap and to walk hand-in-hand on this path towards the gender equality, women’s empowerment and sustainable development we hope for and expect.

Compiled by GERC Inc. from various sources