The Global Economic Crisis and Gender Equality

Background

The Global Economic Crisis and Gender Equality was released by UN Women in October of 2014. Seven years after the 2008 global economic crisis, this report examines the particular challenges that women faced during the crisis related to austerity measures, increased unemployment, and cuts in social spending. The report calls for decision action on the part of policy makers to ensure women a decent standard of living.

Policy Recommendations

UN Women laid out three policy recommendations in the report:

• Job creation and livelihood support to enhance women’s right to work and rights at work. Economic and social policies that provide women with the income-earning opportunities, protections and skills that they need to recover from the crisis, as well as to benefit from, and contribute to, economic recovery and prosperity.
• Better regulation of the financial sector is needed to prevent future crises. A financial transaction tax is also recommended to curb speculation and risk-taking and generate resources to invest in people and the ‘real economy’.
• Investment in social protection, social services and the care economy, to ensure affordable, accessible and quality social services, and by taking pro-active measures to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work. Not only are these social investments good for poverty eradication and gender equality, they also directly impact productivity and economic recovery.

References

The Global Economic Crisis and Gender Equality, UN Women