Amplifying the voices of women in the informal sector on social protection

ABOUT PROJECT

In Southern Africa the informal sector is a key component of each country’s economy. It comprises mostly of workers who are self-employed or who work for those who are self-employed. Given the nature of poverty in Southern Africa, this sector is dominated by women working in unprotected and unsecured places and are thus are exposed to many risks. In spite of this vulnerability however, these women lack access to policies and programs designed to reduce their vulnerability.

Today, social security systems in the Southern African region are largely targeted towards workers in the formal sector. Ironically, those excluded from the scope of formal social security are often the most vulnerable and economically marginalized and therefore those who are most in need of social security. This issue is of particular concern in the region as the vast majority of workers in Southern Africa are located in the informal economy.

Further to this, in most countries for which data disaggregated by sex are available, the share of women in informal employment far outnumbers that of men. The feminization of poverty, combined with discrimination by gender, age, ethnicity or disability, means that the informal economy comprises the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of society. Additionally, gender inequality is more prevalent in the informal economy, where women are concentrated in lower quality jobs. There is therefore a need to develop positive strategies to combat the various forms of discrimination to which female informal economy workers are particularly vulnerable in the sector. Unfortunately, however, due to the nature of the informal sector, it is difficult for the actors in this sector to come together and discuss and receive information on policies and programs designed to reduce their vulnerability. This project therefore seeks to use the opportunity presented by the upcoming 63rd CSW platform whose theme is “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” to contribute to fill this gap.

CUTS intends to mobilise women working in the informal economic sector (i.e. informal traders, domestic workers, rural women farmers among others) to put the issue of social protection on national, regional and global agendas with a view to contributing to closing the glaring gender gap in this field. Due to the nature of the informal sector, women who participate in this economy have always been vulnerable and without a platform to come together to voice their concerns regarding the issues they deal with in their work environments. The focus of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women this year therefore creates an opportunity to amplify the discussion of the issue of women’s social protection in the informal sector as its credence at the global level can create the basis for the discussion at the national level.

This project will therefore seek to empower women who work in the informal sector to demand social protection by organizing a platform in Zambia for women across the Southern African region to come together and agree on a common narrative pertaining to social protection. The project will then facilitate the women’s participation at various forums at national, regional and global levels such as the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, to amplify their voices on this issue and bring to light the issues that women in the informal sector have with regards to social protection, as well as advocate for gender responsive policy and practice.