Directory of UN Resources on Gender and Women's Issues
Thematic Issues and Critical Areas of Concern > Critical Areas of Concern >
Women and the Economy
There are considerable differences in women's and men's access to and opportunities to exert power over economic structures in their societies. In most parts of the world, women are virtually absent from or are poorly represented in economic decision-making, including the formulation of financial, monetary, commercial and other economic policies, as well s tax systems and rules governing pay.
Decent rural employment for food security: A case for action
[ www.fao.org ]
Languages: English
Promoting decent employment is essential to achieving food security and reducing poverty. This Case for Action argues that improving policy coherence between employment and agricultural initiatives and investing more in the promotion of decent rural employment contribute highly to the interlinked challenges of fighting rural poverty and feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way.
The 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report also focuses on four priority areas for policy going forward: (i) reducing excess female mortality and closing education gaps where they remain, (ii) improving access to economic opportunities for women (iii) increasing women's voice and agency in the household and in society and (iv) limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
Who is benefiting from trade liberalization in Bhutan? A gender perspective
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
Policies to expand trade and to promote Bhutan´s unique overall goal of maximizing "gross national happiness" should be linked to strategies for educating women and enhancing their positions in society and in the economy, a new UNCTAD study says. The study is one of a series being carried out by the Organization to analyse the gender effects of trade in developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs). Other UNCTAD studies are focusing on situations in LDCs Lesotho, Rwanda and Angola; in Cape Verde, a country that recently graduated from LDC status; and in Uruguay, a developing country that is not an LDC.
Online Video Series: Women's Economic Rights (Southern Cone)
[ http://www.youtube.com/ ]
Languages: English | Spanish
| Portuguese
The countries of the Southern Cone have distinct economic realities. However, when the issue is women and labor markets, they have something in common. Women have less secure jobs, receive lower wages, and generally work in the informal sector. Not only is their work undervalued, they face a double workload as they seek to conciliate their working lives with their roles as homemakers and caregivers. In this five-part series, TV Brasil International evaluates the economic realities women live in and the challenges they face in the Southern Cone region, particularly in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. (Producers: TV Brasil International, UN Women; Date of Release: March 2011; Language: Portuguese. Available in English and Spanish subtitles)
2009 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Women's control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development is the flagship publication of the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women. It is presented to the Second Committee of the General Assembly at five-yearly intervals. The 1999 World Survey focused on globalization, gender and work and the 2004 World Survey addressed women and international migration. The General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to update the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session; noting that the survey should continue to focus on selective emerging development themes that have an impact on the role of women in the economy at the national, regional and international levels. The theme for the World Survey in 2009 is “Women’s control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance”.
Excerpt from the Press Conference on the Launch of the 2009 World Survey, 26 October 2009, UN Headquarters:
The gender perspectives of the financial crisis
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
The emerging issue on “The gender perspectives of the financial crisis” was considered at an
interactive expert panel at the Fifty-Third Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW) in March 2009.
UNESCO Future Forum: The Potential Impact of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis on
Women and Gender Equality
[ portal.unesco.org ]
Languages: English
The UNESCO Future Forum was held on 2 March 2009 at UNESCO Headquarters to reflect on the
ramifications of the present financial and economic crisis and their implications for
international cooperation in general and in particular for UNESCO’s domains, namely
education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO, 2009
Expert meeting on mainstreaming gender in trade policy (10 - 11 March 2009)
[ www.unctad.org ]
Languages: English
The meeting addressed three main issues: the relation between trade and gender; the impact of trade policy on gender through labour markets, SMEs, agriculture and migration; and how to advance mainstreaming gender in trade policy from theory to practice. The report of the meeting, as wells as papers and presentations are available online. UNCTAD, 2009
Trade Liberalisation and Women
[ www.unifem.org ]
Languages: English
The aim is to bring together relevant data on trade issues and their gender-differentiated impact on women.
Development Gateway: Gender and Development
[ topics.developmentgateway.org ]
Languages: English | French | Spanish
The Development Gateway's Gender and Development topic area is envisioned as a common platform for gender and development related resources, information, and dialogue.
Promoting Women's Economic Security and Rights
[ www.unifem.org ]
Languages: English
This section covers activities to promote women's economic security and rights and contribute to the eradication of feminized poverty. It contants informaiton on gender and macroeconomics, gender and trade and gender budgets.
The Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction
[ www.wider.unu.edu ]
Languages: English
Subtitled "The Challenges in Development Aid", this research paper recommends that post-conflict reconstruction projects systematically address gender issues and promote gender equality to make peace work. UNU, 2006
The Story Behind the Numbers: Women and Employment in Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Commonwealth of Independent States
[ www.unifem.org ]
Languages: English
This report examines women's labour market situation in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Western Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the context of the social and economic transformations in the region in the past 15 years. It analyses trends in women's and men's labour force participation during the transition to a market-oriented economy and assesses their implications for the economic security of both women and men.
Online Discussion: Women and the Economy
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
From October 2004 to January 2005, WomenWatch hosted a series of online discussions on the Platform's critical areas of concern and other important issues to provide input into the review and appraisal of the Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action. All postings and background notes are available for reading as archived online discussion.
