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LOCALFriday 10 March 2017
ECLAC: Women’s Labor Participation Rate Has Stagnated around
53% in the Region and Gender Bias in the Labor Market Persists
-In the framework of In- coverage is low, and there der gap is always favor-
ternational Women’s Day, is less contact with technol- able to men, except in
the United Nations organi- ogy and innovation. Mexico, where male un-
zation also indicated that Likewise, women’s unem- employment exceeds that
women’s unemployment ployment rates are system- of women by 0.1 percent-
rates are systematically atically higher than those of age points, according to
higher than those of men. men, according to a docu- ECLAC. Countries such as
ment prepared by ECLAC’s Belize and Jamaica show
CHILE - The Economic ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena. Gender Equality Observa- gaps in excess of 7 per-
Commission for Latin Amer- tory for Latin America and centage points.
ica and the Caribbean stagnated at around 53%, ECLAC defines as low pro- the Caribbean. Unemployment rates have
(ECLAC) called for the cre- and 78.1% of women who ductivity sectors, where the Between 2002 and 2013, remained particularly high
ation of quality jobs that are employed work in what pay is worse, social security the unemployment rate in among people with lower
duly recognize women’s Latin America cumulative- incomes. In the first quintile
abilities, levels of instruction ly fell by 2.8 percentage in 2013, 14.9% of women
and productivity, in the points, but starting in 2015, were unemployed (com-
framework of International that trend has reversed. pared with 10.5% of men).
Women’s Day commemo- According to the report In the third quintile, female
rated every March 8. Preliminary Overview of the unemployment was at 7%
Although labor market in- Economies of Latin Amer- with male unemployment
dicators showed a posi- ica and the Caribbean, in at 4.9%, while in the high-
tive trend over the past 2015 the unemployment est-income quintile these
decade, the labor partici- rate reached 7.4%, with percentages fall to 3% and
pation rate for women has women being the most ad- 2.5%, respectively.
versely affected: 8.6% of For ECLAC, employment
For reservations: 525-4000 ext. 172 or through www.asiesmiperuenaruba.com @ Paradise Beach Villas women were unemployed policies should be capable
compared with 6.6% of of modifying the current
men. structure of inequality, con-
In the countries of Latin fronting the existing gender
America and the Caribbe- bias in the labor market. It
an, based on preliminary also calls for the recogni-
data for 2016, the unem- tion and redistribution of
ployment rate increased time spent on unpaid la-
an average of 0.5 percent- bor, so that the responsi-
age points versus the previ- bility of caring for children,
ous year: the increase for dependent persons and
women was 0.7 percent- older adults does not fall
age points while for men it exclusively on women.
was 0.3 points. In the framework of Inter-
“The labor indicators for national Women’s Day,
Latin America and the Ca- ECLAC is also publishing
ribbean continue to show the first report in a new se-
large gender gaps be- ries of GEO Studies entitled
tween men and women Gender Equality Plans in
with regard to access to Latin America and the Ca-
opportunities and rights. ribbean: Roadmaps for De-
The inequalities are rooted velopment (Spanish only).
in a social system that re- The report analyzes the pro-
produces stereotypes and cesses for designing these
preserves a sexual division plans, their links to national
of labor that limits women’s development strategies
labor integration,” explains and the budget visibility of
ECLAC’s Executive Secre- gender equality policies
tary, Alicia Bárcena. in countries such as Belize,
These structural factors, ac- Bolivia, Chile, Colombia,
cording to the United Na- Costa Rica, the Dominican
tions senior official, pose Republic, Ecuador,
an obstacle to overcom- El Salvador, Guatemala,
ing poverty and inequal- Honduras, Jamaica, Mex-
ity in the region, as well as ico, Nicaragua, Panama,
to women’s attainment Paraguay, Peru, Suriname,
of economic autonomy – Trinidad and Tobago, Uru-
even more so if one consid- guay and Venezuela.
ers the current context of One of the chapters ad-
economic contraction. dresses in depth the objec-
Although the rates of un- tives, contents and strate-
employment for women gic pillars of these plans
and men vary depending with regard to women’s
on the country, the gen- economic autonomy.q
