Partnership for Change, a Norwegian CSO, is hosting a seminar to discuss the importance and potential of ”care policies” and to boost productivity and inclusivity in emerging economies. ILO’s Care@Work project in Ethiopia will feature as a case study.
Half of a country’s talent is female. This huge resource is systematically underutilised as women generally carry the burden of childcare. According to the World Bank, 94% of persons missing out on paid work due to care responsibilities are women. Not only do many mothers stop working post-birth due to a lack of paid leave and adequate childcare, but women are also discriminated against in expectation of them becoming mothers.
This is bad for business. The cost of initiatives such as maternity protection, parental leave, and professional childcare for ages 0-4 can for many companies of a certain size be cheaper than the cost of losing good workers and paying for continuous recruitment and training. It also results in the loss of future female leaders.
The Care@Work project in Ethiopia, implemented in partnership with PfC, highlights practical and realistic solutions, emphasising the need for collaboration across business, government, and civil society actors to ensure more inclusive growth.
The seminar will feature speakers from ILO, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NORFUND, Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), Institutt for Samfunnsforskning and Equality Check. It is held in a combination of Norwegian and English.
For more information and to sign up for the event, follow this link:
https://pfchange.org/event/realising-rights-in-practice/