Equality in the Workplace: Progress and Challenges

Worldwide, women are already recognized as citizens with guarantees that citizenship allows in many legislations. However, it is still not clear whether they can effectively exercise these rights in their daily lives. One of the fields in which there have succeeded is labor, where women have reached managerial positions and achieved ownership of their own companies. The progress is real but still partial. Let's see some data:

According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB, 2020), the female participation rate rose from around 20% in the 1960s to over 60% at the beginning of the 2010s. However, this rate is well below the men’s participation rate, which exceeds 80% in some countries. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic generated a setback of over a decade in the level of the women’s participation in the American continent. According to data from the COVID-19 Special Report N⁰9 (ECLAC, 2021), the women’s labor participation rate in Latin America stood at 46% in 2020, while that of men fell to 69%. Likewise, an overwhelming outflow of women from the labor force was noticed, because they had to take care of their homes and could not resume their job. In some sectors, women earn up to 30% less than men, exceeding the gender wage gap estimated at around 20% worldwide (UN, 2022).

Another important aspect to consider is the quality of employment, i.e., the fact that many women have access to a paid job does not mean that it provides for all the benefits established by laws and international agreements on the subject. According to the UN (2021), most working women are compelled to accept low wages, long working hours, few opportunities for advancement, while enduring health and safety risks at work and facing vulnerability to violence and harassment. Moreover, a great percentage of women's employment occurs in various sectors of the informal economy. Objectively speaking, such precariousness puts them at disadvantage today and in the future, as it prevents them from having a pension, living in proper housing conditions and accessing resources and health care. It is therefore crucial that both the governments and the private sector actively engage in transforming labor practices in support of gender equality and women's empowerment.