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Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
Related increases in food prices make food less accessible to opportunities in the rural economy. A fair transition towards
poor people, in particular to women and girls, whose health environmentally sustainable economies and societies for
has been found to decline more than male health in times all19 (particularly in these sectors), opens up significant
of food shortages. Furthermore, women are often excluded opportunities to strengthen the participation of women in
from decision-making on access to, and the use of, land and decision-making at all levels, secure sustainable livelihoods,
resources critical to their livelihoods.12 This can increase the improve working conditions, and advance the traditional
burden of unpaid agricultural and household work on girls and local knowledge necessary for strong climate action.20
and women, leaving them with less time for education and
training, and reducing their opportunities to access paid Rural women produce more than one-half of the world’s food
work. In Africa, climate change is now threatening the viability despite their lower productivity due to various disadvantages
of subsistence farming and the survival of millions of rural explained earlier.21 They are the primary caregivers to the
dwellers, 75 per cent of whom are women.13 A 2017 Lancet families in many societies and key to ensuring food and
study has also observed that global labour capacity in rural nutrition security at the household level. The Food and
populations exposed to temperature change is estimated Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) figures
to have decreased by 5.3 per cent between 2000 and 2016. indicate that women provide up to 90 per cent of rice
The study emphasizes that higher temperatures pose “profound cultivation in South-East Asia and produce as much as 80
threats” to occupational health and labour productivity, per cent of basic foodstuffs for household consumption and
particularly for people undertaking manual, outdoor labour for sale in sub-Saharan Africa.22 Overall, women provide
in hot areas. More specifically, the study observes that such up to 90 per cent of the rural poor’s food intake. Other
losses of labour capacity have important implications for research shows that if women farmers had the same access
the livelihoods of individuals, families, and communities, to resources as men, the number of hungry people in the
especially those relying on subsistence farming.14 At the world could be reduced by up to 150 million.23 Considering
same time, exclusionary response and recovery efforts to the fact that nearly 800 million people are facing chronic
natural disasters can also have disproportionate effects on hunger24, it is crucial to remove burdens that rural women
women, and can increase or reinforce existing inequalities.15 face and improve their productivity and working conditions,
The situation is even more challenging for women attempting thereby improving food security.
to recover from environmental disasters16 because of their
limited access to technology, knowledge and productive Child labour in the agricultural sector, which relates primarily
inputs.17 For instance, technologies for agricultural adaptation to subsistence and commercial farming and livestock herding,
that may not be gender-friendly can increase the risks for accounts for 71 per cent of all child labour (or 108 million
social and economic maladaptation.18 children in absolute terms), according to the ILO’s 2017 child
labour estimates.25 Unlike in other sectors, where the share
As workers, entrepreneurs and custodians of traditional of boys in child labour is higher than that of girls, the share
knowledge, the contributions of rural women are unique, of boys and girls in agricultural child labour is very similar:
especially in the context of natural resource management, 70.3 per cent of girls in child labour are found in agriculture,
agriculture and forestry, all sectors that are critical to climate compared to 71.5 per cent of boys. Girls more often perform
mitigation and adaptation. Traditional knowledge also drives household chores within their own family, which is not covered
innovation in enhancing resilience and generating green job by the above-mentioned estimates. Evidence across countries
and sectors also suggests that a significant number of girls
12 FAO: Women and Food Security, FAO Programme http://www.fao.org/gender/gender-home/ look after their younger siblings while their mothers work.
gender-programme/gender-food/en/ [accessed 7 Nov. 2017].
13 G. S. Hemmings-Gapihan: “Climate change, subsistence farming, food security, and poverty:
The consequences of agricultural policies on women and men farmers in Burkina Faso and
Cote d'Ivoire”, in Africa Policy Journal (2008, Aug.).
14 See: The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: From 25 years of inaction to a global 19 See ILO: Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and
transformation for public health, The Lancet, 2017, www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/ societies for all (Geneva, 2015).
PIIS0140-6736%2817%2932464-9/fulltext#cesec70 [accessed 1 Oct. 2017]. 20 ILO: Gender, labour and a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and
15 See: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/274081468183862921/Gender-and-climate- societies for all (Geneva, forthcoming).
change-three-things-you-should-know [accessed 7 Nov. 2017]. 21 ILO: Promotion of rural employment for poverty reduction, Report IV, International Labour
16 OECD: Gender and sustainable development: Maximizing the economic, social and environmental Conference, 97th Session, Geneva, 2008.
role of women (Paris, 2008), pp. 73–74. For example, when Hurricane Katrina struck New 22 FAO, ILO and IUF: Agriculture workers and their contribution to sustainable agriculture and
Orleans in August 2005, the hardest hit were women, mostly African-American; see: ILO: Gender rural development (Geneva, 2005).
equality at the heart of decent work, Report VI, International Labour Conference, 98th Session,
Geneva, 2009. 23 See: Women hold the key to building a world free from hunger and poverty, FAO, 2016, http://
www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/460267/icode/ [accessed 7 Nov. 2017].
17 FAO, IFAD and ILO: Gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment: Differentiated
pathways out of poverty – Status, trends and gaps (Rome, 2010). 24 IFAD, FAO and WHO: The state of food insecurity in the world: Meeting the 2015 international
hunger targets – Taking stock of even progress (Rome, 2015).
18 See UNDP: Gender and climate change: Gender, adaptation and disaster risk reduction (New
York, 2016). 25 ILO: Global estimates of child labour: Results and trends, 2012-2016 (Geneva, 2017).
4
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5
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
infrastructure, lack of targeted initiatives in favour of rural occupational safety and health hazards. Workers are often
youths and a lack of representation at local and national levels recruited through contractors as seasonal or casual labourers,
hinder rural youth (particularly young women) from accessing with little or no interaction with their employers. These work
productive skills development. Gender norms and discrimination settings tend to entail low job security and inadequate social
continue to hamper and discourage young women’s economic protection and opportunities for social dialogue, along with
initiatives, access to land and financial services, paid and formal weak remedies in case of labour rights violations. Agriculture
employment, and participation in decision-making. In response is also a sector where occupational job-segregation based on
to the lack of economic opportunities, rural youth are increasingly gender – both horizontal and vertical – remains prevalent.
migrating to urban areas. This is a key reason why there is unequal pay for work of
equal value, along with weak minimum wage compliance and
Empowering rural women through decent work also implies a focus enforcement, particularly in rural areas. Women working on
on smallholder farmers, who dominate the agricultural sector plantations may be entitled to maternity protection (including
in developing countries.31 There are more than 500 million small leave and benefits), but in practice may be unable to enjoy
farms of less than 2 hectares globally. A focus on smallholders, these benefits due to their casual or seasonal status.
particularly women, contributes directly to poverty alleviation and
food security, while supporting resilience and empowerment of Rural women belonging to indigenous and tribal peoples,33
communities that are facing multiple vulnerabilities, including face additional layers of disadvantage.34 This is linked to the
those stemming from the impacts of climate change and conflict. fact that, on the one hand, the incidence of poverty among
Too often, however, women’s work as smallholder farmers remains indigenous and tribal peoples tends to be disproportionally
invisible and insufficiently supported. A study of informal workers high (this is particularly so for communities in rural areas
in the global horticulture commodities value chain shows that in the where most indigenous and tribal peoples live). On the other
smallholder sector, women are more likely than men to contribute hand, indigenous and tribal women face discrimination from
to family work while men are more likely to be in the value chain both within, and outside, their communities, which makes
(Chan, 2013). Supporting women smallholders includes ensuring them particularly vulnerable to social and economic exclusion,
access to land and financial services and providing assistance to marginalization, exploitation and gender-based violence.35
help them become entrepreneurs, including through cooperatives.
Indigenous women, involved in traditional occupations and
Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on ending subsistence activities in agriculture, livestock, hunting and
hunger includes a specific indicator (2.3), which highlights forestry, play key roles within their communities as custodians
the role of small-scale food producers, particularly women, and transmitters of traditional knowledge, which is vital for
indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers the existence and integrity of their peoples, and indispensable
in increasing agricultural productivity and incomes. to their livelihoods and resilience. With increasing livelihood
insecurity, which may be due to reduced access to land and
Increased access to wage employment in agricultural and non- natural resources or the impacts of climate change, indigenous
agricultural sectors, such as in the tourism or services sector, women increasingly seek employment in the informal economy.
has the potential to enhance women’s economic opportunities Climate change threatens to increase indigenous women’s
and income. Yet, rural women’s engagement as wage workers vulnerability to socio-economic exclusion, as indigenous and
in conditions of vulnerability – particularly in unskilled or low tribal communities are disproportionally affected by climate
skill work, and in informal settings – are widespread in rural change.36 Yet, as noted in the Paris Agreement,37 traditional
areas. Women’s unequal access to skills and training along knowledge is critical for strong climate action, and particularly
with discrimination within their communities and society at in this regard, indigenous women have a very important role
large, as well as absence of alternative income generation to play in furthering a low-carbon economy more broadly and
opportunities are key challenges. For example, in the agricultural enhancing resilience in the rural economy specifically.
export industry,32 work is physically demanding and involves
33 ILO: Decent work for indigenous and tribal peoples in the rural economy, Portfolio of policy
31 FAO defines smallholders as “small-scale farmers, pastoralists, forest keepers, fishers who guidance notes on the promotion of decent work in the rural economy, Sectoral Policies
manage areas varying from less than one hectare to 10 hectares Smallholders are characterized Department (Geneva, 2017).
by family-focused motives such as favouring the stability of the farm household system, using
mainly family labour for production and using part of the produce for family consumption”; 34 See for example ILO: The labour situation of indigenous women in Peru: A study (Geneva, 2016).
see: Smallholders and family farmers, FAO, 2012, www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/nr/ 35 ILO, UNWOMEN, UNFPA and UNICEF: Breaking the silence on violence against indigenous girls,
sustainability_pathways/docs/Factsheet_SMALLHOLDERS.pdf [accessed 2 Oct. 2017]. adolescents and young women: A call to action based on an overview of existing evidence from
32 F. Ahmmed and Md. I. Hossain: A study on working condition of tea plantation workers in Bangladesh, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America (New York, 2013).
(Dhaka, ILO, 2016); ILO: Decent work in agriculture, Background paper for International Workers’ 36 ILO: Indigenous peoples and climate change: From victims to change agents through decent
Symposium on Decent Work in Agriculture, Geneva, 15-18 Sep. 2003; T. Korovkin: “Cut-flower exports, work (Geneva, 2017).
female labor, and community participation in highland Ecuador”, in Latin American Perspectives
(2003, Vol. 30, No. 4, July), pp. 18–42; C.S. Dolan: “On farm and packhouse: Employment at the 37 See: The Paris agreement, UN, 2015, http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.
bottom of a global value chain”, in Rural Sociology (2004, Vol. 69, No. 1, Mar.), pp. 99–126. php [accessed 4 Oct. 2017].
6
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
38 ILO: Resource guide on gender issues in employment and labour market policies: Working
towards women’s economic empowerment and gender equality (Geneva, 2014).
7
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
As large numbers of rural women are working as own account action, while also providing a platform for involvement in
workers and face challenges in enhancing productivity, policy debates and decision-making. Promoting cooperatives
the ILO’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Development (ILO-WED) is a concrete response to the need to invest in agriculture
programme and the Small Enterprise Programme’s Start and and other sectors in the real economy, while paying special
Improve Your Business (SIYB) offer specific approaches for attention to landless women farmers and women from
supporting women entrepreneurs in starting and growing socially disadvantaged communities, such as indigenous and
their businesses. Training for Rural Economic Empowerment tribal communities, whose traditional knowledge plays an
(TREE) is an ILO community-based training programme important role in generating green jobs and enterprises.41
implemented in Asia and Africa. It promotes income generation
and employment opportunities for disadvantaged women Protecting rural women from unacceptable forms
and men by providing them with skills and knowledge that of work
they can use in their communities.
Women’s economic empowerment in the rural economy is
inseparably linked to strengthening laws, policies, governance
Investment in care – recognizing, reducing, and redistributing
and institutions, which reduce the risks of exposure to,
and representing care work – is essential for women’s
and enhance protection from, unacceptable forms of work.
economic empowerment and for supporting women’s equal
The ILO defines unacceptable forms of work as work that
opportunities in the world of work. Strengthening access
denies fundamental principles and rights at work, or that
to childcare, particularly in rural areas and in agriculture,
put at risk the lives, health, freedom, human dignity or
contributes to families’ social and economic security and
security of workers, or subjects their households to conditions
enhances women’s access to economic opportunities and
of poverty.42
jobs, thereby reducing vulnerability to risks. This is particularly
important for poor rural communities in which women
shoulder a higher burden of unpaid care work, and where The ILO is pursuing an integrated approach that seeks to
social value evolves at a different pace than in urban areas. address vulnerability through a combination of context-specific
Devising effective and tailored child care solutions and creating measures and interventions. This includes tackling violations
quality jobs in the care economy, which have positive effects of fundamental principles and rights at work (particularly
on poor families, women’s empowerment and enterprises, discrimination, restrictions of freedom of association and
is a strategic approach for stimulating rural labour markets.39 the right to collective bargaining), as well as child labour
and forced labour, with a specific focus on rural areas.
The ILO supports the enhancement of protection from
Together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
occupational safety and health hazards, including the risks
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
of exposure to violence and harassment in the workplace,
(OECD), the ILO has launched a Working for Health Initiative in
and effective minimum wage coverage and enforcement.
follow-up to the High-Level Commission on Health Employment
It focuses on at-risk sectors and occupations, including
and Economic Growth.40 The initiative seeks to expand and
agriculture, construction and domestic work, in many of
transform the health and care workforce at the country
which women are represented.
level through robust labour market data, national workforce
strategies, social dialogue, skills development and enhanced
domestic and international investments. An expanded and Setting and enforcing minimum wages that contribute to
high-quality health workforce has the potential of not only overcoming poverty and reducing inequality is particularly
improving health outcomes, but also serving as the basis relevant in the context of empowerment of rural women.
for economic growth, job promotion and gender equality. The ILO supports efforts to extend minimum wage coverage to
A key strategy of the Working for Health Initiative is to invest sectors in which women are concentrated, such as domestic
in rural health service workers and to address the specific work, agriculture or the services sector. In rural areas, where
professional and labour challenges they face, with the aim minimum wage compliance is generally lower than in urban
of ensuring universal health coverage for all. areas, women and workers from socially disadvantaged ethnic
or minority groups are particularly affected by remuneration
The ILO seeks to support rural women in taking up leading
positions in producers’ organizations. Cooperatives can 41 ILO: Leveraging the cooperative advantage for women’s empowerment and gender equality
enhance women’s economic opportunities through collective (Geneva, ILO, Cooperatives and the World of Work No. 1, 2014). Also see, ILO: A cooperative
way for empowering indigenous peoples (Geneva, ILO, Cooperatives and the World of Work
Series No. 15, 2016); and ILO: Securing rights, creating jobs and ensuring sustainability: A
39 See, for example, Laura Addati: “France” in C. Hein and N. Cassirer (eds.): Workplace solutions cooperative way for empowering indigenous peoples (Geneva, ILO, Cooperatives and the
for child care (Geneva, ILO, 2010), p. 303. World of Work Series No. 5, 2016).
40 WHO: Working for health and growth: Investing in the health workforce, Report of the High- 42 ILO: Programme and Budget proposals for 2016-17, Governing Body, 323rd Session, Geneva,
Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth (Geneva, 2016). Mar. 2015, p.31.
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Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
below minimum wage level. In response, the ILO recommends women engaged as casual, temporary or seasonal workers
comprehensive and tailored compliance strategies.43 may be ineligible for social benefits, including maternity
benefits. Rural women spend more time in securing the
Strengthening labour inspection in rural areas, and particularly wellbeing of their families, including food provision, while
in these sectors and occupations, is another key focus, at the same time are less likely to access household funds
and action includes targeted promotion of ratification and to pay for medical treatment.46
implementation of ILO Convention No. 129 concerning labour
inspection in agriculture. Ensuring access to formal jobs in The ILO is supporting countries in their efforts to extend
rural areas is key for preventing women worker’s vulnerability social protection by addressing the particularities of the rural
to labour rights violations and exploitation. economy, such as low contributory capacity and the low level
of organization among independent workers or producers,
Child labour, and the way it affects boys and girls differently, and widespread informality. The ILO’s approach is based on the
perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality that rural ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)
women face. Girls may be involved in domestic work instead and seeks to ensure that a gender dimension is incorporated
of being sent to school, which undermines their potential, into the design, implementation and evaluation of social
leading to lower productivity and reducing their decent work protection systems. The ILO promotes enhanced maternity
opportunities. The ILO approach emphasizes the gender- protection in line with Maternity Protection Convention,
dimension of child labour as critical for developing targeted 2000 (No. 183), which is contributing to improved women’s
responses to tackle child labour among girls in the rural participation in the labour market while at the same time
economy. This includes ensuring parent’s access to decent preventing pregnancy-related mortality, which is high in
work, equal access of girls to education, and challenging rural areas.
stereotypical views and social norms that limit girl’s equal
rights and opportunities, while promoting a more equal Closing the representation gap: women’s access to
sharing of household responsibilities between women freedom of association, collective bargaining and
and men. social dialogue
Freedom of association is a core right for all workers and a
Enhancing social protection for women in the
prerequisite for social dialogue and collective bargaining.
rural economy Most workers employed in the rural economy do not, however,
Gender-based inequalities in the labour market, women’s enjoy this right, and the barriers for women workers to access
unequal share of unpaid care and household work, and bias this right are often higher than for male workers. Promoting
in the way in which social protection systems are structured in freedom of association for women rural workers is therefore
the formal economy have resulted in unequal access, coverage a crucial element of the ILO strategy in enhancing decent work
and provision of social security for women. Moreover, gender in the rural economy. Recent initiatives include a gender-
inequalities and the lack of consideration given to women’s specific training manual for trade unions to specifically build
specific social protection needs often put women at greater the capacity of rural women workers.47
risk throughout their life.44
The Rural Workers’ Organizations Recommendation,
The ILO promotes a gender responsive policy approach, 1975 (No. 149) specifically recognizes the challenges facing
particularly when designing strategies and measures to women and integrates the gender dimension into providing
extend social protection in the rural economy. Women guidance on how to organize rural workers. It encourages
often face additional disadvantages, compared to men, the competent authorities to promote programmes focused
in accessing social protection as a result of unequal access on the roles that women can, and should, play in the rural
to education, the high proportion of women in informal community, and to integrate them into general programmes
and own-account work, and limited access to financial and of education and training, to which women and men should
non-financial services.45 When involved in wage work, rural have equal access. The Recommendation promotes workers’
education and adult education programmes specially adapted
43 U. Rani et al.: “Minimum wage coverage and compliance in developing countries”, in International to the social, economic and cultural needs of the various
Labour Review (2013, Vol. 153, No. 3-4, Dec.), pp. 381-410; A. Marinakis (ed): Incumplimiento
con el salario mínimo en América Latina: El peso de los factores económicos e institucionales categories of rural workers, including women.
(Santiago, OIT, FAO, 2014).
44 Lou Tessier et al.: Social protection floors and gender equality: A brief overview (Geneva, ILO, 46 X. Scheil-Adlung and C. Kuhl: Evidence on gender inequities in social health protection: The
ESS Working Paper No. 37, 2013). case of women living in rural areas (Geneva, ILO, Extension of Social Security Paper No. 29,
2012).
45 See also ILO: Extending social protection to the rural economy, Portfolio of policy guidance
notes on the promotion of decent work in the rural economy, Sectoral Policies Department 47 R. Gopalakrishnan and A. Sukthankar: Freedom of association for women rural workers: A
(Geneva, 2015). manual (Geneva, ILO, 2012).
9
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
49 ILO: Developing markets: How training female entrepreneurs can improve business practices
and profits-Evidence from Kenya, (Geneva, 2017).
48 ILO: Rural skills training: A generic manual on training for rural economic empowerment (TREE), 50 European Training Foundation: The entrepreneurial continuum: From concept to action (Turin,
Skills and Employability Department (Geneva, 2009). 2017), pp. 26-27.
10
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
In collaboration with the FAO, the ILO has developed a In Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ILO has undertaken a survey
training programme for the apex bodies of savings and into the living and working conditions of tea plantation
credit cooperatives, which are often the only financial service workers, which produced new data on the conditions of
providers in rural areas. These materials are being piloted in women workers who belong to disadvantaged indigenous
Zambia. To examine the existing knowledge about the gender and tribal groups. As a follow-up, capacity building for the tea
dimensions of rural employment and the gaps in data and garden union also included specific interventions to strengthen
research, the ILO produced an inter-agency report on the women’s participation in both unions and decision-making.
gender dimension of agricultural work with the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the FAO.51 In Kenya, an ILO project is reducing vulnerability to climate
risks and improving livelihoods as well as living standards
The ILO’s Youth Employment Programme and the IFAD’s among traditional pastoralist communities. The project is
Near East and North Africa Unit have implemented the directly benefitting pastoralist women through the creation
Taqeem (meaning “evaluation” in Arabic) initiative, whose of green jobs in the building industry, while contributing to
objective is to strengthen gender monitoring, evaluation and the reduction of poverty and strengthening the resilience of
mainstreaming in rural employment projects in the Middle the community and country to climate change.
East and North Africa. Through rigorous impact research,
this capacity development and learning grant project aims The ILO has recently also developed an IPEC+ Flagship
to understand “what works” in the promotion of gender Strategy (International Programme on the Elimination of
mainstreaming, with the ultimate goal of reaching gender Child Labour and Forced Labour).54 It aims to work with
equality in rural employment outcomes across the region. the ILO’s tripartite social partners from the village to the
A series of impact reports is being produced; e.g. a 2017 global levels – governments, employers’ and workers’
report on empowering young women trough business and organizations – and with enterprises and small producers’
vocational training assesses the employment impacts of a organizations to promote the eradication of child labour
field intervention, which benefited 4500 young women in and forced labour and the realization of all fundamental
30 villages in rural Upper Egypt.52 rights at work. A key focus area for IPEC+ is on the rural and
informal economies. Its interventions cut across strengthening
The ILO Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) governance structures and capacities of real economy actors,
adapted its rural access planning and community contracting enhancing engagement and cooperation between the ILO’s
tools for public works infrastructure programmes in the water constituents and other relevant stakeholders, and significantly
and sanitation sector in Panama, Nicaragua and Paraguay expanding knowledge, information-sharing and evidence-
by integrating an inter-cultural and gender-based approach. based policy advice.
The inclusion of women, rural and indigenous populations in
the decision-making, planning and implementation of water
supply and sanitation programs, ensure that these services
are more accessible, equitable and sustainable.53
51 FAO, IFAD and ILO: Gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment: Differentiated
pathways out of poverty - Status, trends and gaps (Rome, 2010).
52 See: A. Elsayed and R. Roushdy: Empowering young women through business and vocational
training: Evidence from a field intervention in rural Egypt (Geneva, ILO, Impact Report Series,
Issue 8, 2017).
53 See: A. Amorim et al.: South-south cooperation and decent work: Good practices (Geneva,
ILO, 2013), p.53; and E.E.S. Alvarez: Conceptual guide for integrated rural access planning and
community contracting in the water and sanitation sector: With an approach on gender and
inter-culturality (Geneva, ILO, Guides for integrated rural access planning and community 54 See: ILO: ILO IPEC+ flagship strategy: International programme on the elimination of child
contracting in the water and sanitation sector No. 1, 2015). labour and forced labour, Governance and Tripartism Department (Geneva, 2017).
11
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
Rural Workers’ Organizations Convention, 1975 (No. 141) ILO. 2012. Unleashing the potential for rural development
through decent work, (Geneva).
Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention,
1981 (No. 156) ILO. 2014. Resource guide on gender issues in employment
and labour market policies: Working towards women’s
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) economic empowerment and gender equality (Geneva).
Convention, 1983 (No. 159)
ILO. Minimum wage policy guide
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)
ILO. 2015. Guidelines for a just transition towards
Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) environmentally sustainable economies and societies for
all (Geneva).
Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189)
12
Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
13
© Photos
p.1: iStock.com/Bartosz Hadyniak
p.2: iStock.com/rvimages
p.14-15: ILO/Eri Uchimura
Overview of Policy Guidance Notes
on the Promotion of Decent Work
in the Rural Economy
Supporting inclusive agricultural growth for improved livelihoods and food security
• Decent Work for Food Security and Resilient Rural Livelihoods
• Decent and Productive Work in Agriculture
Promoting economic diversification and triggering productive transformation for rural employment
• Economic Diversification of the Rural Economy
• Promoting Decent Work for Rural Workers at the Base of the Supply Chain
• The Role of Multinational Enterprises in the Promotion of Decent Work in Rural Areas
• Transitioning to Formality in the Rural Informal Economy
• Sustainable Tourism – A Catalyst for Inclusive Socio-economic Development and Poverty Reduction in Rural Areas
Increasing the voice of rural people through organization and the promotion of rights, standards and social
dialogue
• Rights at Work in the Rural Economy
• Promoting Social Dialogue in the Rural Economy
• Building Local Development in Rural Areas through Cooperatives and other Social and Solidarity Economy Enterprises
and Organizations
• Decent Work for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in the Rural Economy
• Empowering Women in the Rural Economy
• Decent Work for Rural Youth
• Promoting Fair and Effective Labour Migration Policies in Agriculture and Rural Areas