Women’s Job in Male-Oriented Sectors
Date of Meeting: 16 March 2017
Meeting Organizer: Sweden, Multilateral Development Banks Working Group on Gender
CSW Delegates Present: Anne Gregora, Captain Andrews Christian, Lt-Col. Marieke Venter, Ben Gilbert
Reporter: Anne Gregora
Which SDG does this topic cover? 5
Type of meeting: CSW Side Event
Brief summary of presentation of information made
Introduction:
Women are doing better in education (tertiary) however they are not succeeding in the job sector. Accessing jobs in traditional male oriented sectors could lift families out of poverty and be real catalysts for change for women. Prove to society that women can do these roles
Panel:
Economist World Bank
IFC. –employment lead
African Development Bank – gender adviser
EBID gender adviser
European Commission
What Research has been done (World Bank(:
Two studies on female entrepreneurs in Uganda and Ethiopia. In Africa, women are more likely to be entrepreneurs as men. However women tend to be less profitable. Success of business seems to have to do with the sector that it is a part of. E.g. Restaurants (dominated by women) vs wood workshop (dominated by men)
Uganda & Ethiopia
Male role models in a woman’s youth is what may help a women to enter into a male dominated sector.
Education and skills between the two sectors doesn’t seem to matter too much. Doesn’t mean that you can’t transition from on sector to another.
Issues with sexual harassment
Women in these sectors believe that clients would prefer to work with men when trading
Difficulty networking
Increase the knowledge for women entrepreneurs on what they can expect in earning expectations in which sector so that they can make more informed choices when it comes to choosing a vocational training pathway
When should we start engaging women to discuss their pathways
Org for promoting women in STEM sectors. Work with six institutions. Worked in different levels
1. Worked with the families to discuss working in different sectors
2. Revising curriculums – what pictures do they see in books? How do teachers engage? Worked with ministry of education to revise this. Worked with teachers training college on how to deliver the messages. Help show teachers inherent biases that they may have in different subjects based on sex.
3. Vocational training centre – encouraging girls to be trained in high-paying sector.
Labatoria – social enterprise for IT skills in Peru. Insights for this context: now also in mexico and chile
Teach coding to women from low income backgrounds. Place them in companies where there is need for software developers. 400 girls have moved through and 85% have now jobs in tech. Less than 6% of developers in Latin America are women. Opportunity to kick start a career and not a job. Getting women in tech:
1. Work with families
2. Spark their interest
3. Work with employers - Link a social program with a market need! Will need 1.2million software engineers in lasting America – promote this to employers. Demonstrate how good they are to overcome the employer bias. Showing evidence that after maternity leave, the woman is more reliable and less likely to take time off than men.
Social entrepreneurs- working in a space of uncertainty and risk. Learn from what is working and not working.
The workplace – what works? Good practices of the private sector
She works Partnership – working with private sector to employ women
IFC – private sector arm of the World Bank.
Each company that partnered made 3 commitments on how to go above and beyond to include women
A report is available: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/736a199a-d6e1-48e2-b0d3-a087fad9ac7b/SheWorks_Summary%235.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Report is comprehensive and identifies best practices and measurement.
Private sector provide 9/10 jobs. We therefore need to engage this sector to bring about change.
Best Practice Examples highlighted in report
Kuwait Energy – CEO is female and makes sure that there is equal opportunity. She also acts as a mentor to others in the sector
African Development Bank
Working in Power and Mining in South Africa
Need to work in different levels – for example companies can reserve jobs for women, but if they are not trained and ready they will not be filled
First Quantam Mine in Zambia is supporting the local trade school and sponsored a cohort of students – they found that girls did better than the boys in this program and when they worked. Now they only recruit girls into this program.
Kenya
Last mile connectivity initiative.
https://www.afdb.org/en/projects-and-operations/project-portfolio/p-ke-fa0-010/
Social Norms
What people think is acceptable for women. Sometimes these can be challenged and brought into policy. Some laws were once there to protect women – however now limit opportunity to work. In Kyrgyzstan Republic because of these laws women were restricted from working in mines. Therefore engaged with the government
1. Did a legislative review
2. Completed an economic evaluation – if gender gaps were closed they would see the government increase GDP
3. With this information went to the government and now reform is possible.
Stereotypes
Realities –
Women take care of children for more hours
Spend more hours on unpaid work then men when both are working
Work Life Balance initiative commissioned by the European Commission – to promote gender equality and a better share of paid and unpaid work.
What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
- Challenge our vocational training on offer around the world
- Challenge hidden biases that we might have in programs around the world that paves an employment pathway