61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women ( CSW61)
UN Headquarters, New York, 13 to 24 March 2017.
Themes
-Prioritytheme: Women’seconomicempowerment in the changing world of work
-Reviewtheme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals for women and girls (agreed conclusions of the 58th session)
-Emerging issue/ Focus area: The empowerment of indigenouswomen.
UN member states committed to ensurewomen’s full and equal participation and leadership in the economy, as well as women’srights to work and rights at work, as a vital step to achievingsustainanbledevelopment. This strongpledge to women’seconomicempowerment came at the closing of CSW61.
The Agreed Conclusions from the UN’slargestgathering on genderequality, women’sempowerment and women’srightshighlightbarriersthatwomen face, such as unequalworking conditions, women’s over-representation in the informaleconomy, genderstereotypes and social normsthatreinforcewomen’s concentration in certain sectors, such as health and social sectors, and the unevenshare of unpaid care workthatwomen do.
Despite the long-standing existence of the international labour standards on equalpay, the genderpay gap,whichcurrentlystands at 23% globally,persists in all countries. Member States expressedconcern over this and the persistentlylowwagespaid to women,which are oftenbelowdecent living wages.In the final agreement, they commit to the implementation of equalpaypoliciesthrough social dialogue, collective bargaining, job evaluations and genderpay audits, amongothermeasures.
At the same time, CSW membersacknowledgedthatprovidingequalpay and social protection willcreatedecentwork for paid care and domesticworkers. Fastdeveloping new technologies and sectorspresent new employmentopportunities for women, but thattheyneed to beprovidedwithaccess to relevant education and training.
This Commission has engagedstrongly, comprehensively and constructively over the twoweeks in considering the most effective ways in which to bring about change for women in the world of work, «saidPhumzileMlambo-Ngcuka, UN WomenExecutiveDirector, in welcoming the Agreed Conclusions. «we have heardfrom all quarters the acceptedimperative to put thisknowledgeinto practice. It willtke action throughout society; by all thosewhospoke to represent the commitment of young and older, of civil society and parliamentarians, of men and womenalike, to embrace the great promise of finallymakingspace for women to thrive. There has never been any excuse for the inequalitythatexists. Nowwe are seeing a healthyintolerance for inequalitygrowintofirm and positive change».
This year’s Commission saw the attendance of 162 Member States, including 89 representatives at the Ministeriallevel. Over 3900 representativesfrom 580 civil society organizationscame to New York from 138 countries,attesting to the growingstrength and unity of women’svoicesaround the world.
Underliningthatwomen’scareersshould not experienceanydisadvantagebecause of pregnancy and motherhood, the Agreed Conclusions stress the need to ensurethatbothwomen and men have access to paid parental leave and to promotemen’s usage of suchallowances.
Measuressuch as increasedflexibility in working arrangements; facilitation of breastfeeding for workingmothers; development of infrastructure and technology; the provision of affordable and quality care facilities for children and otherdependents; and adaptingeducationsystems to allowpregnant adolescents, as well as single mothers, to continue and completetheireducation; are highlighted by the Commissionto advancewomen’seconomicempowerment.Legal and policyframeworks must alsobeenforcedto end sexualharassment at the work place. The Commission recognizedthe importance of women’saccess to sexual and reproductive health-care services to enablethem to participatefully in the labour force.
For the first time, the transition of informal and domesticworkersinto the formaleconomywas a key issue of discussion for the Commission, whosemembersagreed on the need of promotingdecentwork and paid care in the public and privatesectors; increasing the provision of social protection and wagesthatguarantee an adequate standard of living; and ensuringsafeworking conditions for women. This comes as a matterof concern as manymigrant womenemployed in the informaleconomy and in lessskilledwork areespeciallyvulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Commission recognized the positive contributions of migrants and called for gender-responsive migration policiesthatpromote migrant women’seconomicempowerment.
The Commission calls for strengthened efforts in both public and privatesectors to retainwomen in the workforce and seek more gender balance in managerial positions. Member States furthercalled for an end to the practice of gender-base differenciation, alsoknown as the «pinktax»- wherebygoods and services intended for or marketed to women and girls cost more thansimilargoods and services intended for or marketed to men and boys.
With the empowerment of indigenouswomenbeing the emergingtheme of this session, the Agreed Conclusions urge the full inclusion and development of indigenouswomen in economic life, includingthrough the establishment of indigenous-owned businesses.