Over 2 million moms left the labour force in 2020 according to new global estimates
Released today, new global data covering 189 countries and territories expose the motherhood penalty faced by millions of women around the world in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What to know when comparing data on women and men’s work
How many men and women were employed last week? How many hours did they work in their main jobs? And how many hours did they work in unpaid activities such as caring for children? These are seemingly straightforward questions but measuring paid and unpaid work through household surveys is anything but straightforward. This holds true especially for women in developing countries, who are more often engaged in informal activities such as microenterprises or small-scale farming — activities that can fall through the cracks of traditional surveys.
Measuring Women and Men’s Work: Main Findings from a Joint ILO and World Bank Study in Sri Lanka
This report presents the findings of the ILO-World Bank study in Sri Lanka. It shows the key areas of inconsistency discovered between the labour force survey and multi-topic living standards survey, how those inconsistencies were addressed across a range of topics including the measurement of employment, labour underutilization and own-use production work. In addition, the report highlights the range of valuable data that can be generated when the 19th ICLS standards are applied through household surveys.
Measuring Women and Men’s Work: Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations from a Joint ILO and World Bank Study in Sri Lanka
This brief highlights the key lessons learned during the ILO-World Bank study in Sri Lanka. It provides recommendations for household surveys seeking to measure in line with the latest international statistical standards, in particular those adopted at the 19th ICLS.
Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery
This policy brief provides an outlook of where women stand in the labour market after more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
How women are being left behind in the quest for decent work for all
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals set out a shared vision to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. Will the pandemic reverse progress in advancing decent work for all as prescribed under Goal 8? It seems likely, at least for women.
Strengthening gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era: An urgent need for change
This brief highlights 5 key areas where strong and decisive action is required to achieve sustainable improvement in the availability of key gender data, including in the world of work.
How to strengthen gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era
The data is abundantly clear on one point: the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately negative impact on women. Because more women work in the tourism, retail, and informal sectors, which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, their livelihoods have been upended. Understanding the extent of this impact is the first step in reversing course. Yet the pandemic has also exposed and exacerbated data gaps that undermine our ability to act intentionally and craft effective policy responses.
Who are the women on the move? A portrait of female migrant workers
The international migration of women, either together with their family or on their own, is an increasingly important and complex phenomenon but remains insufficiently documented owing to a lack of data. New ILOSTAT data offer some insights on the profile of women looking for work and better opportunities abroad.
Fallout of COVID-19: working moms are being squeezed out of the labour force
A workable balance is what parents are desperately trying to find in these uncertain times. Even in “normal” times, the balance between work and family has not been an easy one to achieve. The challenge is not new, especially for women. But the pandemic is shining a stadium size light to the problem, can it also shine light on the solution?