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Joining Forces for Gender Equality

What is Holding us Back?

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OECD countries continue to face persistent gender inequalities in social and economic life. Young women often reach higher levels of education than young men, but remain under-represented in fields with the most lucrative careers. Women spend more time on unpaid work, face a strong motherhood penalty, encounter barriers to entrepreneurship and fare worse in labour markets overall. They are also under-represented in politics and leadership positions in public employment. These elements permeate many policy areas and economic sectors – from international trade and development assistance to energy and the environment – in which policy often lacks a strong gender focus. Violence against women, the most abhorrent manifestation of gender inequality, remains a global crisis. This publication analyses developments and policies for gender equality, such as gender mainstreaming and budgeting, reforms to increase fathers’ involvement in parental leave and childcare, pay transparency initiatives to tackle gender pay gaps, and systems to address gender-based violence. It extends the perspective on gender equality to include foreign direct investment, nuclear energy and transport. Advancing gender equality is not just a moral imperative; in times of rapidly ageing populations, low fertility and multiple crises, it will strengthen future gender-equal economic growth and social cohesion.

English Also available in: French

Women and the social economy

This chapter starts by showing the relevance of the social economy as a labour market for women. It then shows that existing gender gaps in leadership and pay are relatively limited in the social economy. The chapter highlights that entities that have a social purpose and/or flexible working conditions attract women to the social economy, but it also stresses the risk of “dual labour market dynamics” limiting women to what is traditionally perceived as “women’s jobs or roles”. After analysing women’s employment in the social economy, the chapter provides policy recommendations to further recognise their work and leadership in the field. It also suggests ways to increase women’s participation in high-growth sectors within the social economy, such as technology-intensive and green sectors.

English

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