What does women’s economic justice mean to you?
Our work at IWRAW AP is guided by international human rights frameworks. A rights-based approach is key. We reject taking an instrumentalist approach to gender equality, which says that we need more women participating in economic activities because it will promote economic growth – not because it is their fundamental human right. Attempts to promote “female labour force participation” usually fail to understand the root causes of gender inequality and do not pay enough attention to women’s agency. Such approaches can lead to women being trapped in inherently exploitative capitalist, patriarchal structures and in survival livelihoods, which do not enable them to escape poverty and are counterproductive to achieving gender equality:
“There’s no point adding more women to flawed economic systems and institutions.”
The fact is, women are already participating in the economy. They are just concentrated in sectors where they are invisible or sectors that are not considered "work", like unpaid care and domestic work. For those women who are participating in "formal work," we have not yet been able to create equal and decent working conditions. When we talk about women’s economic rights and justice, we are talking about correcting the environment that disadvantages women. We are advocating for substantive equality – equal rights not only in law but equality of results in real terms. We must stop looking at women in an instrumentalist way and, instead, recognise their choices, agency and rights.
How has COVID-19 affected women’s economic justice?
COVID-19 has impacted everyone, but it has disproportionately impacted women and marginalised groups. This was very clear from an early survey with our constituencies about the issues they were facing. COVID-19 and government responses to the pandemic have exposed what was already there: systemic failure, discrimination and inequality. Additionally, vaccine inequality has privileged some countries and some populations within countries, creating new grounds for discrimination. There has been an increase in gender-based violence and, globally, women have experienced a greater increase in unpaid care and domestic work. Now there is a discussion about “building back equal” – rebuilding our economies and societies to be more egalitarian than they were before the pandemic – but I don’t know how hopeful we can be. We have all seen the value of care work, but action to redistribute unpaid care work is still not happening, and domestic workers worldwide are still fighting for recognition for their work as work. However, we can learn from the pandemic about the kind of work that is important and why governments need to invest in care infrastructure, health and education.
How can we ensure that economic recovery works with and for women?
What we are demanding is a caring economy, one that recognises care as a social good. We are demanding more public investment in care infrastructure. This is linked to tax justice. The climate justice movement is having similar conversations, so how can we bring together different movements that are demanding similar things? Both women’s and labour rights movements have come together in support of ILO Convention 190 (C190), the first global treaty on violence and harassment in the workplace. C190 provides a broad definition of violence, workers and workplace. In the context of the current crisis, with the lines blurring between home and the site of work, and evidence of increased incidents of violence against women, C190 is more relevant and important than ever. It’s also important that recovery plans include women’s perspectives and feminist analysis. How can we listen to women? At IWRAW AP, we take an intersectional feminist approach to our organising, working closely with indigenous women, women with disabilities, sex workers and other marginalised groups that are otherwise excluded from mainstream discussions around rights and economic equality.
What are the priorities to achieve women’s economic justice?
When we talk about women’s economic justice, women are impacted both as economic and as social actors. The challenges come from patriarchal, as well as neoliberal and capitalist structures. The fight is not just against institutions and actors with a patriarchal mindset, but also with institutions which promote neoliberal values and oppose workers’ rights, so private sector accountability is important, and the priority should be about shifting power. We are very critical about the role of the private sector and we have seen how corporations are influencing the decision making of the state and impacting governments’ ability to deliver on economic rights. State-sanctioned land grabs – a trend that we see happening in various countries in the Asia Pacific region – are human rights violations, and women and indigenous communities are often disproportionately affected in these situations.
Where are you seeing the most transformative approaches to women’s economic justice?
At IWRAW AP, we work a lot with human rights systems. We understand that these often feel far removed, but they provide us with normative frameworks and avenues to advance our rights. We work in cross-movement solidarity to claim UN spaces and transform the discourse into one which truly upholds human rights and dignity. For example, we have been engaging with CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, bringing non-governmental organisations and women’s rights organisations into the process, so that we can influence the outcomes and recommendations to governments. If individual governments are not listening, there are ways to demand accountability through the international system.
We have also seen community-driven approaches working. There are worker-led and women-led initiatives where, when the system is not delivering justice, they are self-organising, resisting and struggling to claim their rights. These movements are inspiring. We cannot judge things only in terms of the government response.
“When the system is broken, then speaking out against it is itself a transformative initiative.”
For more information
To learn more about CARE International’s Women’s Economic Justice strategy and programming, contact Alex Eastham, acting Women’s Economic Justice Team Lead, CARE International UK: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
