Global crisis to throw women out of work, says report

The report said the worldwide meltdown would place new hurdles in the path to growth. The ILO said the number of unemployed women is likely to increase by as much as 7.4 percent or 22 million in 2009, higher than the projected 7 percent unemployment rate for men. Women take up 40.4 percent or 1.2 billion of the 3 billion global workforces in 2008, according to the ILO.

Women are also more vulnerable to unemployment with a rate of 54.7 percent compared to 51.8 percent for men, the report read.

The ILO said the gender impact of the economic crisis in terms of unemployment is expected to be more detrimental for females than for males in most regions of the world, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. On the other hand, it said unemployment rates are expected to be less detrimental for nations with narrower gender gaps in terms of job opportunities such as East Asia, Southeastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and some developed countries.

"Women's lower employment rates, weaker control over property and resources, concentration and vulnerable forms of employment with lower earnings, and less social protection; all place women in a weaker position than men to weather crises," said ILO Bureau for Gender Equality Director Jane Hodges. In a statement issued for International Women’s Day, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said gender equality should be a key principle in any policy response as the effects of the economic and financial crisis go beyond the scope of women in the world of work and have an impact on the overall stability of society, considering the various roles that women play.

Among the policy measures proposed by Somavia include sustainable and quality jobs open to both women and men and broader social protection.