Happy International Women’s Day!

The International Women’s Day is intended as a reminder of women’s liberation, not for showering them with frenzied attention or the odd rose, pink carnation or whatnot. First and foremost it should serve as a reminder of labor rights, which this date stems from dating back a hundred years. Thus let us submit the numbers, representing a clear indicator of what the local and global situations are in view of the state of women in the job market.

54% of the unemployed are women in Croatia, meaning there are over 180.000 jobless women in Croatia. At least 35.000 more work without receiving a paycheck, while 80.000 of them moonlight. A staggering 90% of women fortunate enough to gain employment throughout this past year, got the job on a temporary employment contract, what is the most unstable and unprotected mode of employment. Women employed in “women’s industries” for the most part work for minimum wage at a gross profit of 2814 HRK. Research conducted by the MojPosao (MyJob) portal shows women’s salaries lagged behind their male colleagues by approximately 23% in 2008 and 2009.

A somewhat broader picture shows that in Middle and Eastern Europe women work 85 hours a week on average, while men work 70 hours a week. According to Eurostat data, the European Union Statistical Office, women in the European Union get a 17 percent smaller salary on average than men. As can be expected, the more children a woman has, the lesser chance she has of getting a job, while the opposite is true for men.

And last but not least, let’s not forget that out of the 1.3 billion poverty-stricken people worldwide, the majority are women.

Fotografija: Flickr.com