Employment that empowers women

Employment has long been recognized as one of the most powerful drivers of women’s autonomy and independence, and of social transformation. However, the liberating potential of work depends not simply on whether women are employed, but on the quality and security of the jobs they hold. Work liberates women only when it is decent work: work that is freely chosen, fairly remunerated, protected by rights, supported by social protection, underpinned by workers’ ability to organize and express their concerns, and accompanied by opportunities for personal development and social participation.

Decent work liberates women by strengthening their agency and expanding their life choices. When women earn an adequate and reliable income, they gain greater control over household resources and decision-making. This financial autonomy can reduce dependence on family members or partners and strengthen women’s capacity to invest in their own education, health, and well-being, as well as that of their children. 

Decent work also gives women access to social protection – including maternity and parental benefits, healthcare, pensions, and unemployment protection – reducing vulnerability during moments such as parenthood, illness, job loss, and old age. Such employment further creates opportunities for women to develop skills, exercise leadership, participate in social dialogue, and contribute to public life. Through decent work, women become active agents of economic and social change.

Progress without equality

In recent decades, women have made significant gains in education and in labor force participation. But these gains have not translated into gender equality in practice at work.

Globally, women’s labor force participation stands at 48%, well below men’s 73%. Among young people, the gap is also pronounced: 26.7% of young women are not in employment, education, or training (NEET), compared with around 7.9% of young men. Women hold just 30% of managerial positions and, on average, earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women from marginalized backgrounds, these inequalities are even more stark.

For women in many parts of the world, work still means the informal economy. That often brings insecurity, few rights at work, little or no social protection, long hours, and low pay or income.

Entrenched structural barriers are constraining women’s access to decent work, as well as their ability to remain in the workforce and advance in their careers. For example, women still spend significantly more time than men performing unpaid care and domestic work, limiting their opportunities for paid employment and career advancement. Occupational and sectoral segregation remains widespread, with women concentrated in vital but lower-paid sectors such as care, education, and social services, while remaining underrepresented in high-growth sectors such as technology, engineering, and energy. For many women, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and lifelong learning remain out of reach. Discrimination, violence, and harassment also continue to undermine women’s opportunities, safety, health, and dignity at work.

The links between work and women’s reproductive health over the life course are gaining attention, but they remain misunderstood and often treated as “taboo.” While every individual experience is different, growing evidence shows that natural life-stage events such as menopause can act as a brake on women’s careers, sometimes causing them to exit the workforce altogether, when silence replaces supportive workplace policies.

A transformative agenda for gender equality at work

The International Labour Organization’s Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality at Work, first set out in its Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, moves beyond incremental improvements to address the structural and root causes of gender inequality. Its objectives include:

• ensuring equal pay for work of equal value
• achieving a better work-life balance
• expanding paid care leave and promoting a more equitable sharing of family responsibilities
• investing in the care economy
• supporting employment creation and lifelong learning
• removing legal and social barriers to women’s participation
• preventing and addressing gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work

At the 2026 International Labour Conference, ILO constituents revisited the agenda through an ILO discussion paper on gender equality at work, focusing on three broad questions:

• what structural barriers are constraining gender equality in the world of work, and what integrated, evidence-based policy approaches are needed to address their root causes
• how technological, environmental, and demographic transitions can be harnessed to advance gender equality and support inclusive, sustainable development
• what priority actions are needed to promote, advance, and support the agenda in practice

From road map to action

The outcome is a clear and strategic road map, stressing the need for comprehensive, integrated, cross-sectoral, and evidence-based action. It calls for approaches that combine equality frameworks, economic and labor market policies, social protection, care systems, skills policies, institutional capacity-building, and effective enforcement.

The road map urges governments, working with employers’ and workers’ organizations, to strengthen and enforce laws prohibiting discrimination in recruitment, pay, and promotion, while removing discriminatory laws and policies. It also recognizes the importance of investing in the care economy – a commitment made by the ILO’s tripartite constituents at the 2024 International Labour Conference. It also highlights the need for gender-responsive employment and macroeconomic policies that create decent jobs in traditional and emerging sectors, alongside skills development and lifelong learning. Also essential are gender-responsive occupational health and safety measures that reflect women’s different socio-economic backgrounds and identities, as well as measures to support the transition from informal to formal work, while preventing work from being pushed into informal arrangements.

Transitions that could widen – or close – the gap

The transformations currently reshaping the world of work make these interventions even more urgent. Digitalization and artificial intelligence are changing the nature of jobs and the skills required across sectors. While these technologies have the potential to increase productivity and create new employment opportunities, they may also deepen existing inequalities if structural barriers remain in place and women lack access to digital tools, connectivity, and training. ILO research reveals that women are disproportionately concentrated in occupations vulnerable to automation. Without deliberate action, technological transitions could widen gender gaps rather than narrow them.

The transition to environmentally sustainable economies presents similar challenges and opportunities. Green transitions are creating jobs in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, environmental services, and other emerging sectors. Yet women remain underrepresented in many of these occupations. Policies that promote women’s participation in green skills development, entrepreneurship, and employment are therefore essential, including for women in rural communities.

Demographic change further underscores the importance of gender-responsive labor market policies. Population aging is increasing demand for care. These trends create significant opportunities for employment growth in the care economy but also highlight the need for adequate investment in care infrastructure, social protection, and workforce development. Care systems must be strengthened to ensure that growing care needs do not translate into even greater amounts of unpaid care work for women.

The policy choices made now will either create a generational opportunity to advance gender equality in practice or further embed structural inequalities. Labor markets that are inclusive, equitable, and centered on decent work can liberate women and improve their individual lives. They can also transform societies and economies for the benefit of all.