Gender Equality and Work-Family Balance in Collective Agreements

Abstract

ILO regularly receives requests for support to constituents on how to strengthen gender equality through collective bargaining. Also the 2009 International Labour Conference Resolution and Conclusions concerning gender equality at the heart of decent work makes specific mention of how collective bargaining can ensure the systematic integration of gender dimensions into labour market and macroeconomic policies in general, and address specific issues such as gender pay gap, enhanced protection against discrimination, work-family measures, and childcare infrastructure, sexual violence and harassment, and the promotion of female employment . ILO engaged the WageIndicator Foundation, which, because of its extensive Collective Agreement Database, can provide data on clauses in collective agreements that enhance gender equality (e.g. maternity protection, violence at work, equal pay) in a range of sectors, countries and at different negotiation levels in order to analyse content and identify innovative clauses about work and family arrangements and gender issues.