Gender imbalances in access to employment and working conditions are greater than previously thought, according to the International Labour Organization.

The ILO added that progress in reducing the gender imbalances has been ‘disappointingly slow’ in the last two decades.

The study found that 15% of working-age women globally would like to work but do not have a job, compared with 10.5% of men. This gender gap has remained almost unchanged for two decades (2005-2022). In contrast, the global unemployment rates for women and men are very similar, because the criteria used to define unemployment tends to disproportionately exclude women.

The jobs gap was found to be ‘particularly severe’ in developing countries where the proportion of women unable to find a job reaches 24.9% in low-income countries. The corresponding rate for men in the same category is 16.6%, significantly lower than that for women.

ILO’s study also pointed out that personal and family responsibilities, including unpaid care work, disproportionately affect women. These activities can prevent them not only from being employed but also from actively searching for employment or being available to work at short notice. It is necessary to meet these criteria to be considered unemployed, so many women in need of a job are not reflected in the unemployment figures.

Gender imbalances in decent work are not limited to access to employment, the ILO found. While vulnerable employment is widespread for both women and men, women tend to be overrepresented in certain types of vulnerable jobs. For instance, women are more likely to be helping in their households or in their relatives’ businesses rather than being in own-account work.
“This vulnerability, together with lower employment rates, takes a toll on women’s earnings,” the ILO stated. “Globally, for each dollar of labour income men earn, women earned only USD 0.51.”

In low and lower-middle income countries, the gender disparity in labour income is much worse, with women earning USD 0.33 and USD 0.29 on the dollar respectively. In high-income and upper-middle income countries, women’s relative labour income reaches USD 0.58 and USD 0.56 cents respectively per dollar earned by men.