Global employment trends for women 2004

Overview

One of the most striking phenomena of recent times has been the increasing proportion of women in the labour force, enabling women in many regions to use their potential in the labour market and to achieve economic independence. Section 2 looks at the trends in female labour force participation. But does the fact that women increasingly enter the labour market really mean that the gap between male and female participation is closing? And does it mean that women who look for work are successful in finding it? If they do find work, what are the typical characteristics of female work compared to that of male counterparts?

An analysis of six additional labour market indicators (female unemployment rates, female youth unemployment rates, employment-to-population ratios, status of employment, employment by sector and wages/earnings) makes it clear that the questions asked cannot be answered with a definitive yes. More women work today than ever before: in 2003 out of the 2.8 billion people that had work, 1.1 billion were women (table 1.1). The share of women with work in total employment has risen slightly in the past ten years to just above 40 per cent. However, improved equality in terms of quantity of male and female workers has yet to result in real socioeconomic empowerment for women, an equitable distribution of household responsibilities, equal pay for work of equal value, and gender balance across all occupations. In short, true equality in the world of work is still out of reach.