Signs of progress

تغيير خيارات الرسومات المنخفضة | تغيير اللغة | القفز عن المحتوى إلى الملاحة

محتوى الصفحة: Home > مجلة النقل الدولي "Transport International" > Issue 36 - July 2009 > Signs of progress

ITF translations available: Deutsch, Français, Español, Svenska
Google free translation service: Svenska, Nederlands, Italiano, Português, العربية, 中国的, Polski, Русский, 日本語, 한국의, Български, فارسی , Norske - About these links

Women transport workers have made progress in the last 10 years, says a new ITF survey, but they still face discrimination.

Women working in transport are still battling for gender equality, according to a new survey by the ITF. The survey of ITF affiliates, carried out over 2007 and 2008 shows that there have been some improvements since 1998 – when the ITF last did a survey. However, there are still many areas where they do not enjoy the same rights as their male counterparts.

The ITF gender equality testing 2007/08 attracted 388 responses from 45 countries, representing almost 390,000 women workers in almost 200 different companies/ workplaces.

“The survey provides ample evidence that women need strong unions to fight for gender equality to put an end to occupational segregation in the transport industry,” says Alison McGarry, ITF women transport workers coordinator.

She adds: “Women have progressed in compelling employers to develop equal opportunities and anti-harassment policies but these need to be translated into action through the collective bargaining agenda.

“Only through growing union membership and strengthening women’s participation in unions can women win job security, equal pay and overcome the discrimination they face daily.”

The positives

When applying for a job, fewer women now report having to disclose their marital status or whether or not they have children.
One in 10 respondents says there are still gender inequalities in pay.
Relatively more women seem to have the same access to promotion as men, and to an occupational pension.
The trends also seem to be in the right direction away from gender discrimination in job allocation.
Though companies are still using images of “attractive” women in their advertising, particularly for passenger transport services, there does seem to be relatively more emphasis on the professionalism as well as “service” of women employees.
Over half of respondents said their company has an equal opportunities policy, significantly better than the one third previously. Where such a policy is reported to exist, half of respondents said it is effective; this is much better than the one in five previously.
Over half of respondents say their company has a policy or agreement on sexual harassment; this is considerably better than the previous figure of 26 per cent.

The challenges

About 10 per cent of respondents still report losing their jobs upon marriage – particularly women working in the railway and cruise ship industries.
Women in 27 countries across the world report still not having the right to maternity leave with cash benefits.
Most pregnant women still do not have the right to job transfer.
There is still huge discrimination in the kinds of jobs for which women are recruited and in the pay they receive as a result.
Many women working in what were traditionally “men’s jobs” still have to deal with uniforms that are designed only with men’s bodies in mind.
Meanwhile, where companies want to convey a particular image of women employees in customer service jobs, women are often made to wear uniforms such as high-heels, tight skirts or sarees that are impractical and perhaps even compromise the safety of their passengers.
Nearly half of respondents say their employer has no equal opportunities policy.
Nearly half of respondents say that either their employer has no sexual harassment policy or they are unaware of it; over half cannot confirm that swift action is taken against sexual harassment in the workplace; fewer than one-fifth report training for managers and employees on sexual harassment.

Ten years ago…

When the ITF asked unions about gender equality in 1998, the results were concerning. The survey found:

Many companies failed to apply the principle of equal pay for work of equal value
There was a disproportionate prevalence of casual staff, temporary contracts and part-time workers among the female workforce.
A large minority of women were not given the same access to promotion as men.
The use of “attractive” female workers to sell transport services was harmful to the workers’ status and effectiveness.
The vast majority of workers did not know whether or not equal opportunities policies or anti-harassment policies were in place where they worked.
There were pay differences with men and comparatively fewer job opportunities.
Many women were discriminated against if they were married or had children.
A high proportion of women could not exercise full maternity rights.

الصفحة الرئيسية للأقسام:
Issue 36 - July 2009

نسخة الرسومات الكاملة

إمكانية الدخول | مساعدة الموقع | خريطة الموقع

صحيفة الاتحاد الدولي لعمال النقل

ITF House, 49-60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DR | +44 20 7403 2733 | mail@itf.org.uk