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IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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A joint publication of the

International Labour Organization (ILO) and Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Women and labour markets in Asia: Rebalancing for gender equality

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_154846.pdf

[full-text, 68 pages]

Press Release 29 April 2011

Window of opportunity for Asia to improve gender equality at work - ILO, ADB

http://www.ilo.org/asia/info/public/pr/lang--en/WCMS_154852/index.htm

[excerpt from report]

This publication provides an overview and trend analysis of

available information on where and how women work, and under what

conditions, before, during and after the recent crisis as well as in the

current recovery. It aims to offer evidence-based policy recommendations

on strategies to advance gender equality through addressing persistent

gender labour market gaps, which could contribute to strong, balanced

and sustainable development in the region. In particular, it delivers key

messages on the importance of directing policy towards the informal

economy in the context of inclusive growth, underpinned by sufficient

decent work opportunities.

Contents

Foreword...............................................................................................................iii

Executive summary...........................................................................................vii

1. Introduction..................................................................................................1

2. Women in labour markets in Asia..........................................................3

2.1. Gender inequities in labour utilization........................................... 3

2.2. Where and how Asian women work...............................................6

2.3. Women in the informal economy....................................................10

3. Impacts of the crisis on women workers............................................18

3.1. Women workers: the buffer workforce in good and bad times..18

3.2. Women agricultural workers buffeted by unstable prices

and increasing cost.............................................................................21

3.3. International women migrants less likely to have lost jobs.........22

3.4. Women informal workers paid the highest price of the crisis....24

3.5. The “lived human experience” of crisis was harsher on women..29

3.6. Strong economic recovery but vulnerabilities persist...................29

4. Gender-responsive rebalancing..............................................................34

4.1. The gendered implications of “rebalancing”................................34

4.2. Gender-responsive rebalancing policies.........................................39

5. Concluding remarks..................................................................................50

References...........................................................................................................52

Appendix:

Defining Informal Sector and Informal Employment............................56

List of tables

2.1. Annual real GDP growth rate, employment growth rate and

employment elasticities (average 2000-07), Asia and global,

by sex...................................................................................................3

2.2. Youth labour force participation rate, youth employment-topopulation

ratio, youth unemployment rate and ratio of

youth-to-adult unemployment rate by sex and region,

1999, 2009...........................................................................................6

2.3. Vulnerable employment shares, Asia, by sex, 1999, 2009

(% of total employment)..................................................................8

2.4. Distribution of total employment by sector of employment,

Asia and subregions, by sex, 2009...................................................8

2.5. Informal Employment by country and sex, various years...........11

2.6. Informal employment by employment status and sex

(in percentages) .................................................................................14

2.7. Informal employment by industry and sex, 2005, Bangladesh....15

3.1. Unemployment rates by region, country, sex, 2000-2009

(% of labour force)............................................................................20

3.2. Unemployment rates by region and sex, 2008-2010.....................32

List of figures

2.1. Distribution of female and male working-age

populations by main

economic activity, Asia, 2009............................................................3

2.2. Labour force participation rate, Asia and subregions,

by sex, 2009.........................................................................................4

2.3. Unemployment rate, Asia and subregions, by sex,

1999 and 2009.....................................................................................4

2.4. Distribution of total employment by status in employment,

Asia, by sex, 2009.............................................................................7

2.5. Female share of employment by 1-digit sector in 26 Asian

countries/territories, minimum, maximum and median

(latest years).........................................................................................9

2.6. Segmentation of the informal economy by sex, average

earnings and poverty risk..................................................................13

4.1. The benefits of hiring women.........................................................49

List of text boxes

3.1. Sectoral and labour market impacts of the crisis

on Asian countries..............................................................................18

3.2. Deteriorating labour conditions for women workers....................21

3.3. Increased numbers and increased hardships in the

informal economy...............................................................................26

3.4. Why women informal workers were harder hit than men

by the crisis..........................................................................................28

3.5. Gendered household adjustment and coping strategies...............29

3.6. Crisis and recovery in Bangladesh: different impacts

on different livelihoods......................................................................30

3.7. Reported changes in export sector employment in Indonesia

2009-2010.............................................................................................31

4.1. Why the demand for female labour migrants is likely

to increase............................................................................................38

4.2. India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee and

gender equality.................................................................................... 41

4.3. Support for women entrepreneurs.................................................. 42

4.4. The Chars Livelihood Programme: Addressing economic

and social vulnerabilities of women.................................................46

4.5. The WIEGO Organization and Representation Programme......48

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This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 262-6041               
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
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