6 minutes agoWhy is the women's employment rate in Kosovo so low?
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)Over 80 percent of women in Kosovo are not part of the labour market, according to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK). But for researchers like Ernera Dushica from the Institute for Advanced Studies GAP and Blenda Aslan from the Centre for Information, Critics and Action QICA, this statistics do not reflect reality. They [...]
But for researchers like Ernera Dushica from the Institute for Advanced Studies GAP and Blenda Aslan from the Centre for Information, Critics and Action QICA, this statistics do not reflect reality.
They argue that women do many jobs, but that they are not formally recognised.
What is this about?
Since the AKS has begun collecting data for the employment rate of Kosovo citizens in 2012, men have been employed on scale higher than women.
Last month, the last poll of the Workers Power was released, showing that more than 53 percent of men in Kosovo and fewer than 20 percent of women are employed.
The Informal Market of Work
Measurement of the employment rate in Kosovo is estimated to be a difficult process because of the informal labour market.
Many Kosovo citizens do not get employment contracts and are not registered as workers in the companies they work with. In many cases, this is done to avoid losing monthly social assistance or avoiding paying taxes.
In all, 42 percent of Kosovars are estimated to be involved in the informal labour market, according to a this year's study of the Kosovo Women's Network (RRGK). The most vulnerable turn out to be women living in rural areas.
Dushica from the GAP Institute says informal work of women in rural areas includes working on family farms, where women help grow land, care for animals or process agricultural products.
In rural areas, many women work in agriculture. Very often, they are unpaid and do not enjoy social protection”, says Dushica for the REL.
The RRGK report reports show that women in rural areas are most likely to do unpaid work in family businesses.
Among the biggest damage for women who are not known for their work, Dusica estimates it is the monthly pension they receive after the age of 65.
Without having a known contribution to the job market, women aged 65 receive only basic age pension, which is 100 euros a month.
High retirement is what he as a contributor enjoys those who have been active in the formal labour market.
The Burden of Child Care, Old and Home
In addition to unpaid work in family businesses, however, Aslan from the QICA organization also highlights the work of domestic and family care, where women are more engaged than men.
According to her, such factors that affect low employment rates have essentially <x0 patriarchal variables and gender-based stereotypes”.
The main reason is that our society, traditionally, has seen and sees women as the primary responsible for the care of the family and home, as the primary responsible for the unpaid care work CHA, which forces them to stay at home”, says Aslan for Radio Free Europe.
In Kosovo, according to data published in October 2022 by the Musine Koklari Institute, unpaid home care work amounts to over 1.8 billion euros.
That report showed that women spend an average of 6.2 hours a day caring for family or household, while men spend 3.5 hours.
This year's report RRGK shows that both men and women feel overworked at home, which moves them not to be active in the job market.
For women, however, the second most frequent reason is family care compared with men who have given academic studies as reasons.
According to Aslan, lack of formal employment income in women makes it less likely that women will be able to invest in their academic or professional establishment.
But this lack of income also causes women's financial dependence on their partners or family members, she adds.
Financial dependence creates uneven reports of power, thus limiting women's independence to make their own decisions about their lives. Second, it increases the risk of women being victims of violence and abuse by partners or family members”, Aslan explains.
This, according to her, is because in the inability to finance an independent life, many women are forced into abusive relations.
How can this problem be solved?
The data shows that women in Kosovo are less active even in search of jobs compared to men.
The biggest gap in the employment rate of men and women is noted in the 35-44-year-old group, when many become parents.
For this reason, Dushica and Aslan propose to change bark rest with a parental vacation.
The Lehonia mothers in Kosovo belong to 12 months off, of which the first nine months are on pay.
On the other hand, the child's father is entitled only in two days' pay off after the birth of the child and two weeks of unpaid rest. Mother's rest rights may be carried to the child's father only when the mother dies, leaves the child, or the parents agree.
The change of this scheme has been in government plans for some time, but it has never been finalised.
In October 2022, the Labour Inspectorate, operating under the Ministry of Labour and Social Management, has said that changing this parental vacation scheme is included in the new draft of the Labour Law.
However, these changes have not yet passed the legal procedures needed to enter into force.
Dushica argues that partitioning after giving birth to a child between parents would reduce discrimination against women in the labour market.
“Then, an employer would not think or hire a woman, because she could go off to run of lehoia, since she would know that even if she hired a woman or a man, both would get a parental vacation”, says Dushica.
Aslan, meanwhile, proposes that job inspectors be trained to handle gender discrimination in the labour market and create a platform where such discrimination can easily be reported by women.
Furthermore, she adds, since women in Kosovo bear the main burden of domestic care, they must be supported by specific policies from state institutions.
To facilitate the involvement of women in the labour market, it is essential to invest in child care infrastructure, creating affordable gardens and nursery”, says Aslan. /rel
