Gender vulnerabilities in Caribbean labour markets and decent work provisions.

Abstract

The paper asserts that the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women remain priority issues in the Caribbean region's commitment to ensuring sustainable development. The situation of women in formal and informal sectors of the labour market, and in relation to decent work provisions, is examined, and it is acknowledged that there exist gender vulnerabilities in economic participation and empoweiment, with women being at greater disadvantage than men, generally, even as the proportion in the top occupational category has now surpassed the proportion of men. Evidence of such disadvantage is provided by labour force participation and unemployment rates, and redundancy data. Additionally, available average monthly income data shows women earning less than men, explained in part by the 'triple burden' of balancing employment with responsibilities for childrearing and household management. In terms of the more informal aspects of the labour market, the paper highlights the growing concern of children engaged in paid work, one of the varied responses to poverty. While data on child labour in the Caribbean is limited, the paper notes that data from Jamaica speaks to the greater visibility of boys relative to girls, but the heightened involvement of girls in sex work, some of which is linked to tourism. The paper concludes by highlighting the policy implications of the findings and providing suggestions on the way forward.

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