*************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN 4 TO 15 SEPTEMBER 1995 BEIJING, CHINA SPEECH BY MS MARY CHINERY-HESSE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE Beijing, 6 September 1995 Madam Chairperson,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you the warm greetings of the International Labour Office and its Director-General, Mr Michel Hansenne, as well as my personal best wishes for the important work ahead of us. Madam Chairperson, I will focus my intervention today on the concerns of women within the context of the world of work, in line with the mandate of the ILO. Over its 76 years of existence, the ILO has consistently fought against inequality in the world of work, especially against discrimination on the basis of sex. The Organisation has vigorously promoted the principle of equality of opportunity and treatment between women and men as a matter of human rights, as a matter of social justice and as a matter of economic efficiency and sustainable development. The work of the Organisation in this area was given a further boost by the annexation to the ILO Constitution in 1944 of the Declaration of Philadelphia which categorically affirmed that "all human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity". The participation rate of women in the labour force has continued to increase over the last twenty years, and it cannot be disputed that despite the continued underestimation of women's economic contribution in official statistics, more women are participating actively in market activities. Furthermore, women's contribution through non-market activities, which has long remained invisible, is becoming more recognised. We want to emphasise that all women are working women, whether engaged in market or non-market activities. Regrettably, gender inequality persists in opportunity and treatment in the world of work. The situation has been exacerbated by recent developments such as increasing global economic competition and its adverse repercussions including economic marginalization and increased pressure on the most vulnerable population groups. Structural adjustment policies and their adverse social effects, the deregulation of markets and the precariousness of employment, deterioration of the quality of employment, instability and insecurity of income, and reduction of resources for social protection have also taken their toll. Technological innovations, labour market flexibility and privatisation drives have also brought dramatic changes in the world of work, with far-reaching consequences on the quantity and quality of employment. Women have borne the brunt of the social costs of these developments. They have demonstrated in the event considerable capacity for coping with the many difficulties which have been unleashed by these changes, and have on occasion been forced to assume an inordinate burden as they have devised innovative strategies for survival. We must, however, remind ourselves that there is always the last straw which broke the back of the camel and therefore seek for ways to lighten the burden of women within the context of the changes which have taken place. The increasing entry of women into paid employment during the past decade has been referred to as the "Feminization of Employment". According to the latest IL0 estimates, in 1994 approximately 45 per cent of the world's women between the ages of 15 and 64 were economically active. There are signs that this trend has become irreversible. It is indeed probable that near parity with men in employment may be reached by the year 2000. Among the contributory factors are the positive developments in women's access to education and training, legislative provisions for equal opportunity and other practical measures implemented during the past decade. More important, economic necessity and also a deliberate choice by women to exercise their fundamental human right to work outside the home have played a major role in this development. Ladies and Gentlemen, The kinds of jobs women have been absorbed into are, however, predominantly poor in terms of remuneration, job security, social protection coverage and occupational health and safety standards. Women still receive between 60 and 90 per cent of men's pay. The "glass ceiling", penetrated by only a small number of women, has not been completely shattered in terms of the unimpeded entry of women into managerial and decision-making positions. At the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take a couple of centuries for parity to be achieved between men and women's representation at these high levels. The increase in quantity of employment opportunities for women has not been matched by an equivalent progress in the quality of their work, and lingering stereotypes continue to encourage unfair job segregation in the workplace. Women still tend to be crowded into low-skilled, low- status, low-paid and atypical jobs, which by definition are more precarious and more prone to exploitation. They continue to work in a narrow range of skill areas and often in sectors which are outside the purview of existing labour legislation. Women continue to face obstacles in the area of training, access to productive resources and undervaluation of their work. Few countries have explicit policies to provide adequate social support for workers with family responsibilities. There is, therefore, inadequacy of social infrastructural support including the provision of childcare facilities, parental and paternal leave, and family-friendly workplaces, which would free women to realise consistently their full potential as workers. The unequal sharing of family responsibilities between men and women continues to impede the reconciliation of work and family responsibilities. Women workers still have to juggle numerous roles with considerable difficulty and stress. Women outnumber men among the unemployed and the underemployed and we have, in recent years, perceived an alarming phenomenon, the feminization of poverty, with women now forming as much as 70 per cent of the 1.3 billion poor people in the world. The most vulnerable are the rapidly growing numbers of female heads of households, rural women in small holding agriculture, informal sector workers, displaced and migrant workers. The ILO has sought to improve the situation of women in the workplace by marshalling the involvement and support of relevant actors in the world of work taking advantage of its tripartite structure, by promoting training to enhance women's occupational and employment opportunities and entrepreneurial and management capabilities, by making more evident the economic contribution of women through its research and data collection activities, and also through its technical assistance programmes and advisory services which target the problems of the more disadvantaged groups of women to strengthen their income-earning capacity. The unique forte of the ILO in support of women in the workplace, however, rests in its standard-setting activities. The ILO's arsenal of 176 International Labour Conventions and 183 Recommendations which cover various aspects of the world of work include some of particular relevance to promoting equality for women at work. Examples of the principal Conventions covering equality are Conventions No. 100 on Equal Remuneration for Men and Women for Work of Equal Value, No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation, No. 156 on Workers with Family Responsibilities, No. 175 on Part-Time Work and No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize. Action has been initiated this year to formulate a Convention on Homework as well. We urge all governments who have not already done so to ratify urgently these Conventions as part of their commitment to the improvement of the situation of women. Our research and other activities have led us to conclude that an integrated, comprehensive strategy would need to be adopted to ensure success in this regard since the issues which influence the condition of the woman in the workplace are interlinked. We envisage a strategy which should include a supportive legislative environment which would guarantee quality working conditions for women, gender-sensitive labour- market policies, training and skills development for women and girls, appropriate social security and social protection, adequate arrangements for workers with family responsibilities, and measures to improve mobilisation of women to articulate their concerns themselves and elevate their representation and participation at decision-making levels of work-related groupings. Such a strategy requires action at several levels by especially governments, workers' and employers' organisations. These preoccupations of the ILO I have referred to have a striking commonality with many of the elements in the draft platform for action, especially in relation to the field of employment, bearing in mind our assertion that all women are working women. We wish in this regard to draw attention to the special recognition given to the ILO at the World Summit for Social Development in the field of employment, and to affirm that we intend to take the gender perspective fully into account as we discharge the incumbent lead role. We commit ourselves to be full partners with our constituents and the international community at large in the continued promotion of equality of opportunity within the context of the world of work, and in the effective follow-up to this World Conference.- We recognise the multifaceted nature of the gender issue and emphasise the need therefore to clearly delineate the responsibilities of all the different actors and establish an effective machinery for co-ordination. We also urge that definite criteria for assessment of improvement in the situation of women are established. This is the only way we can ensure that the commitments made at this historic Conference are translated into action. In conclusion, I would join those who have expressed gratitude to the Chinese authorities for hosting this Conference. To my friend and colleague, Gertrude Mongella, I say "Hongera". You have demonstrated, in an exemplary manner, what the issue is all about.