The bill that enables employers to provide child care services to employees with children under three was given a final reading by Parliament. The Labor Code and the Education Code were this way amended to reconcile work and family life, IPN reports.
In a press release, UN Women says it will continue to offer the necessary support so that the children enjoy harmonious early education, while the parents enjoy equal opportunities. The adoption of this initiative is the result of the joint efforts of the authorities and civil society. The provision of crèche services by employers is one of the alternative child care solutions identified by the study “How do we contribute to the creation of family friendly workplaces? Four options of alternative child care services that can be offered by employers” that was carried out in 2020 by the Center “Partnership for Development” in cooperation with UN Women with financial support from Sweden.
“The alternative child care solutions are a very important element for the development of the country. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of child care service in the country was the main reason that prevented women from entering the labor market, from becoming employed and building a career. By excluding women from the labor market, their economic empowerment is discouraged and human capital that contributes to the country’s development is lost. This way, the alternative child care solutions are a step towards facilitating the (re)integration of women into the labor market, offering them the possibility of enjoying financial independence and of contributing this way to the welfare of families, to labor productivity and the economic development of society,” said UN Women Moldova Country Representative Dominika Stojanoska.
According to UN Women, this bill is important as the labor market in Moldova is marked by pronounced gender discrepancies that negatively affect the women in most of the cases. The presence of women and mothers on the labor market, against the presence of men and fathers, can be taken as an indicator for analyzing these inequalities. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the employment rate among women aged between 25 and 49 with at least one child of preschool age in 2020 was 35.5%, as opposed to the men’s rate of 64%. Many young women remain outside the labor market and the employment opportunities. The unemployed woman aged 15 - 29 in 2020 represented 32.5%, as against 19.6% of unemployed men. The employed women also witness a gender pay gap that in 2020 was 13.7%.
The quoted source said the provision of alternative child care services by employers is one of the solutions to the created situation, with multiple benefits for both of the involved sides. This way, the employers will be able to easier attract talented and competent labor force, will help increase labor productivity and ensure gender equality in employment and will contribute to increasing the participation of women with children of preschool age in the labor market and to improving their access to higher paying jobs. This will lead to larger family incomes and to improved socioeconomic situation in general.
