The voice of women workers at the UN

Worker representatives to the United Nations call for increased opportunities for women to participate in decent education and decent work.

From 22 February to 4 March, a delegation of eighty women representing trade union groups from throughout the world participated in the 55th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The delegation of trade unionists included representatives from Education International, Public Services International and the International Trade Union Confederation. The session had a strong focus on women’s access to education and training opportunities, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

The women unionists used the session to illustrate the linkages between high quality education and decent work for women. At the same time, they highlighted the fact that improved educational opportunities have not always been accompanied by equal opportunities for employment or an end to gender discrimination at work. In their address to the session, the delegates reported that while increasing numbers of women are participating in tertiary level science and technology education, this has not translated into equal career opportunities or equal pay.

To combat these issues, the ITUC has also launched the Decisions for Life Campaign, which supports and empowers young women, individually and collectively, to make well-informed decisions about work, career and family.