A series of proposals to eliminate women’s inequality in Costa Rica and Latin America were presented on Thursday to the President of the Republic, Luis Guillermo Solís.
The president said that the recommendations of this global panel will help governments, private sectors, and other stakeholders to take key actions on this matter.
Women are necessary for the economy to prosper, so it is important to listen to their policies and take them in a document to the U.N.,”
stated the President.
Solís added that
there are delicate subjects that are deepened here and for which I have no answers, such as the complex reality of migrants, which is a serious and universal matter and all we can do is give a humanitarian response. And also the attention to other vulnerable populations such as sexually diverse, indigenous and African descents communities.”
In total, there are 316 million women in Latin America and they make 19 percent less money than men, despite doing the same job.
The participation rate in the labor force is 54 percent for women and 80 percent for men.
In addition, 59 percent of female jobs are informal, without labor legislation or social protection.
These findings were aired in the High Level Panel on Economic Empowerment of Women organized by the U.N.
The panel was established by the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in March 2016, co-chaired by Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís and CEO of IKEA-Switzerland, Simona Scarpaleggia.
Alejandra Mora, president of INAMU, stressed that the institution has taken actions to empower women in regional offices, including advice from Proyecto Emprende, in partnership with the European Union.
In addition, 3,637 women participated in the program Avanzamos Mujeres, which provides human training for women in poverty.
The program Empléate benefited 265 unemployed women who participated in workshops to strengthen knowledge and skills.