Women Labor Force & Gender Discrimination

8/14/2019 Women Labor Force & Gender Discrimination

1/31

Industrial RelationsIndustrial Relations

End Term ProjectEnd Term Project

Date: December 21, 2009Date: December 21, 2009


2/31


3/31

Introduction/An Overview:

No nation can rise to the height of glory unless yourwomen are side by side with you; we are victims of evilcustoms. It is a crime against humanity that our women

are shut up within the four walls of the houses asprisoners, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, 1944

Women have always been contributing in the worldeconomy but their work always been undervalued bythe mainstream economy.


4/31


Unpaid work is perhaps the biggest contribution thatwomen make to the economy.

The estimated global worth of unpaid work, done mostlyby women, is about US$11 trillion.

Even until modern industrialized times, legal and culturalpractices, along with religious and educational traditions,had restricted women's entry and participation in

the workforce. Economic dependency upon men, and consequently the

poor socio-economic status of women had also restrictedtheir entry into the workforce


5/31


Restrictions on women's access to and participation in theworkforce include:

the wage gap,

the glass ceiling and

sexual harassment

Nominal equal opportunity laws, legal and culturalrestrictions and unequal access to capital are common

barriers for women.

"Women do two-thirds of the world's work, receive 10%of the world's income, and own 1% of the means ofproduction" has become a frequently cited slogan for the

women rights activists.


6/31

Phases of Women Struggle:

The increase of women in the labor force gainedmomentum in the late 19th century.

Phase one: Independent female Worker

between the late 19th century to the 1920s

Phase two: Transition Era

between 1930 to 1950, education and participation increased

Phase three: Roots of the Revolution from 1950- mid to late 1970s

Phase four: The Quiet Revolution

beginning in the 1970s women began to flood the colleges andgrad schools


7/31

Comparison of Women Labor Force:


8/31


9/31



10/31



11/31


12/31

Human Rights and Gender Discrimination:

Everyone has the human right to freedom fromdiscrimination on the ground of gender, race, ethnicity,etc.

All human beings have the human right to livelihood and

work, and human rights norms and standards guaranteewomen full equality in all aspects of economic life.

Therefore, the Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and theInternational Covenants, treaties and declarations etcaim at securing the rights of women againstdiscrimination.


13/31

Human Rights and Gender Discrimination:

The incorporation of a gender perspective in thework of the United Nations is fundamental to theprocess of mainstreaming gender.

Yet Everywhere in the world, women are second-class citizens. says Stephen Lewis (UN Specialenvoy Africa), 2006.

Yet, evidence shows, We live in a world in whichwomen do not have basic control over whathappens to or with them.


14/31

Culture and Gender Discrimination:

Culture may be defined as the totality of a peoples waysof life. This includes its beliefs, attitudes, values, norms,customs, behavior patterns, symbols, myths, language,food, artifact, and other skills which members of society

or community share as a framework for interpreting thesocial world, including patterns of gender roles andrelationships.

Therefore, culture determines or conditions gender roles

and relations of a given society.

Culture as an ideology devalues women and works infavor of men.


15/31


Cultural discrimination against women goesbeyond violence in terms of beating. It includes:

forced marriage

dowry-related violence sexual harassment

intimidation at work and in educational institutions

forced pregnancy forced abortion

trafficking and

forced prostitution


16/31


Domestic violence against women is a global problem.

Amnesty Internationals research has shown that:

The Russian government estimates that 14,000 women werekilled by their partners or relatives in 1999, yet the country stillhas no law specifically addressing domestic violence.

The World Health Organization has reported that up to 70 percent of female murder victims are killed by their male partners.

On average, two women per week are killed by a male partner orformer partner in the UK. Nearly half of all female murder

victims are killed by a partner or ex-partner.

In 2004, in Spain 72 women died at the hands of their partners orex-partner, 7 of them despite having been granted protection

measures.


17/31


18/31

The Pakistan Scenario:

In fact, in general, gender relations in Pakistan rest ontwo basic perceptions; that women are subordinate tomen, and that a man's honor resides in the actions of the

women of his family.

Thus, as in other orthodox religious societies, women aresupposed to be responsible for maintaining the familyhonor and stay at home in Pakistan.

Zareen F. Naqvi and Lubna Shahnaz in their study Howdo women decide to work in Pakistan? found maritalstatus, education level, family size, households financialstatus and area of residence as the main causal factors

behind women making their own decisions about paidemployment in Pakistan.


19/31


Despite the fact that the Constitution of Pakistan gives all thefundamental rights to women, the incidence of women labor forceparticipation is very low in Pakistan.

In the 1973 Constitution, it has been laid down vide article 34 thatsteps shall be taken to ensure full participation of women in allspheres.

Article 35 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall protectthe marriage, the family, the mother, and the child.

Article 37 (c) of the Constitution guarantees just arid human workingconditions for women and children with respect to their age and sex,as well as maternity benefits for employed women.

Prostitution has been prevented under Article 37 (g) of theConstitution


20/31


According to the Labor Force Survey 1999-2000, femaleparticipation rate was merely 14% of the total labor force.

Even though average annual growth rate of female laborforce participation has been increasing slightly in

Pakistan; it was 4% in 1980-99 and has gone up to 5.1%during 1995-98

However, this rate is still very low as compared to the

other South Asian countries; 42 % in Bangladesh, 41% inNepal, 32 % in India and Bhutan, 37% in Sri Lanka.


21/31


Pakistan is a signatory of the followinginternational instruments:

ILO Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention,1958 (No. 111) (ratified on 24/1/1961)

ILO Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) (ratified on11/10/2001)

UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women, 1979 (ratified on 12/3/1996)

ILO Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (DisabledPersons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) (ratified on 25/10/1994)

ILO Underground Work (Women) Convention, 1935 (No. 45)(ratified on 25/3/1938)


22/31



23/31



24/31



25/31


26/31

Recommendations:

The country should make sure the implementation oflocal and international laws regarding genderdiscrimination

Constitution should be supreme not the culture or

customs Education is the key to women empowerment, equal

opportunities must be ensured

There is a need to eliminate general perceptions of the

employer towards women labor force (married,unmarried etc)

Social reformation of the society is important to createawareness in men that household works is not only the

duty of females


27/31

Recommendations:

Women labor force should be facilitated on thework through childcare facilities, maternity leaveetc.

Women must be empowered to make decisionsabout their own selves. This should be promoted

by governments through sponsored workshops,seminars and conferences.

Appropriate legislation measures should be takento prevent harm to women at an earlier stage.


28/31

Let Women Feel:


29/31

Conclusion:

Women, despite having been repeatedly recognized fortheir significant role in almost all spheres of economy andsociety, have not yet been integrated in developmentprocess.

While, in Pakistan, an understanding of woman as animportant component of Human Capital had startedsometime in 1970s with the growing realization of theireconomic potential and contributions, their inclusion in

national development plans is yet to take place.


30/31

Conclusion:

Hence, particularly in Pakistan, major challenge is notlegislation, but implementation.

Implementation of constitutional women rights andcompliance with international standards necessitates a

broad-scale education and appreciation of equalopportunity for all philosophy for the competitivenessand very existence of an organization (private as well aspublic) on micro and macro levels.

Government must initiate an equal opportunityawareness program starting with the education of thepolicy makers.


31/31

Thank You

Q & A

Women Labor Force & Gender Discrimination

Documents

Transcript of Women Labor Force & Gender Discrimination