Globally, women represent the majority of working poor, with less than half of women of working age being in paid employment. Occupational segregation and the undervaluing of women’s work mean that women are more likely to be in low-paying, insecure and informal work. Women earn on average 20% less than men, with many retiring into poverty. And, as gender stereotypes in society persist, women continue to perform the lion’s share of unpaid care work and are more disadvantaged in social protection systems. Gender-based violence, discrimination and intersecting systems of oppression, based on class, race, migration status, sexual orientation and gender identity, are at play at every stage of women’s lives and continue to shape their working experiences.

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