Number of economically active women is up, though they still get less money

Less than 70 women are economically active for every 100 men globally. Worldwide, the female unemployment rate stands at 6.4 per cent compared to the male rate of 5.7 per cent. The new International Labor Office report issued for International Women’s Day says that more women are working than ever before, but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, Info-Prim Neo reports. The report “Global employment trends for women – March 2008” shows that improvements in the status of women in labour markets throughout the world have not substantially narrowed gender gaps in the workplace. The women do not benefit much from social protection, basic rights or voice at work. The number of employed women worldwide grew by almost 200 million over the last decade, to reach 1.2 billion in 2007 compared to 1.8 billion men. However, the number of unemployed women also grew from 70.2 to 81.6 million over the same period. The report points out that for many women, moving away from vulnerable employment into wage and salaried work can be a major step toward economic freedom and self-determination, and that the poorer the region, the greater the likelihood that women remain among the ranks of the contributing family workers or own-account workers. According to Chisinau experts, though Moldova made progress in adopting legislation on gender equality and has ratified a number of international treaties that strengthen the woman’s role in the society, there is a long way to go until the equality of chances becomes a reality. The women in Moldova are as good in responsible positions, but hold unimportant posts in politics, business and public administration. The Moldovan women make up 40% of the unemployed and hold only about 10% of the administrative and political jobs.