LocationsWorkshop „Strengthening the Position of Women at Work and their Ability to Participate Equally in Current Labour Markets in BiH“ held in Sarajevo
Strong position of women on the labor market contributes to the progress of BiH society
October 12, 2023
Strengthening the position of women in the labor market directly benefits the progress of the economy and the entire society. This is the conclusion of the workshop that was held as a part of the SDG Week in BiH, organized by UNDP and UN Women, with the support of Sweden.
The workshop Strengthening the position of women at work and their ability to participate equally in current labour markets in BiH brought together experts, academics, representatives of the private sector, as well as gender mechanisms and UN agencies. The focus of the workshop was on supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 - gender equality. Through two panel discussions, the workshop discussed the improvement of women-led entrepreneurship, the key catalysts for women in the field of work and employment, and the improvement of the care economy with the aim of economic empowerment of women.
“Gender equality and the fight against discrimination based on gender is important for Sweden, both in our own country and in our development cooperation with other countries. Sweden has been taking steps to close the pay gap between the sexes, as well as steps to promote the possibility to balance career and family for both men and women. It is illegal to discriminate based on gender at the workplace in Sweden. Gender equality is an important perspective in everything we do in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is being mainstreamed in all our programmes, but we also have specifically tailored support aimed at relevant stakeholders, including authorities, at all levels to improve the position of women in the country’s labour market.”Eva Smedberg, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in BiH
„Women Forum for Development, UNDP, and Agency for Gender Equality of BiH are launching the White Paper on Key Policies, Incentives, and Affirmative Measures for Improving the Position of Women in the Labour Market in BiH. The paper confirms a staggering 26% difference in labour force participation rates between women and men. Two out of three inactive persons are women. Building on the findings of the white paper, UNDP will support the Agency for Gender Equality and other partners in designing measures to trigger the system-wide changes needed to markedly improve the position of women in the labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina.“Sylvain Merlen, UNDP Resident Representative, a.i.
“Women are still struggling to attain equality in the labour market, but also in unpaid care work, whether it is formal or informal. Our latest data shows that employed women in BiH spend about 5.3 hours on care work daily, which is twice as much as employed men. With all this responsibility, 85% of women still manage to cook once a day, as opposed to only 27% of men. With the support of Sweden, as our strategic partner, we will continue to work on solutions that will transform the care economy and provide better solutions for women in their process of entering or staying in the labour market.”Jo-Anne Bishop, UN Women Representative in BiH
„Greater participation of women in the economy is a prerequisite for the social and economic prosperity of BiH. Measures that contribute to the economic empowerment of women are at the top of the priorities of gender institutional mechanisms. However, it is crucial that all actors are involved in solving this issue, given that the roots of women's insufficient participation in the field of work and the economy lie in numerous barriers - from the uneven division of household chores, the phenomenon of the 'glass ceiling', the underdeveloped economy of care to forms of gender-based discrimination such as differences in income or sexual harassment.“Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić, director of Agency for Gender Equality of BiH of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH
During the event, the White Paper on Key Policies, Incentives, and Affirmative Measures for Improving the Position of Women in the Labour Market in Bosnia and Herzegovina was presented, published by UNDP and the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH in order to support the work of the Women's Forum for Development. Results of the Baseline Study on Care Economy in BiH were also presented, prepared by the Economic Institute in partnership with UN Women. The documents present challenges and recommendations aimed at improving the position of women on the labour market and the obligations of key actors within the Generation Equality Action Coalition for Economic Justice and Rights with a focus on the care economy, as well as the Global Care Alliance.
