UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. UN Women - in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and European Commission - is implementing the regional programme “Win-Win: Gender Equality Means Good Business” to contribute to the economic empowerment of women, recognizing them as beneficiaries and partners of growth and development, by increasing commitment of private companies to gender equality and women´s empowerment and strengthening companies’ capacities to implement these commitments. The programme will ultimately contribute to the achievement of gender equality through enabling women’s labour force participation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and thus their full and equal participation in society. Targeting women led enterprises and networks, multi-national companies, and relevant stakeholders in Europe and selected Latin American and Caribbean countries, the project will promote business links, joint ventures and innovation between women from both regions, while supporting inter-regional dialogue and exchange of good practices to increase the capacity of the private sector more broadly in the implementation of gender equal business. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited, in a 2015 report entitled “Private Sector Development in The Caribbean: A Regional Overview” referred to a scoping study of gender and enterprise development conducted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The study noted that the Caribbean is characterized by low levels of labour market participation by women. Moreover, where women do participate in the labour market, it is mainly as employees and in low-growth, low-status and low-paying sectors. The suggested reason for this is the high level of gender stereotyping in the Caribbean, which has led to women being segregated educationally and consequently also occupationally and sectorally; this is even though women dominate tertiary education enrolment across the region. A recent study by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI), an economics focused think tank, found that Jamaican women have less access to paid work and resources than men do and bear the largest responsibility for unpaid reproductive work. The study showed clearly that the allocation of Jamaican women's time to unpaid care work has a negative correlation with their labour force participation rates, labour exclusion and gender pay gaps. The guiding platform to achieve gender equality is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), launched in 2010 by UN Women and the UN Global Compact. The WEPs are a set of Principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and are informed by real-life business practices and inputs gathered from across the globe. In Jamaica, a total of thirty-nine companies have signed the UN Women/UN Global Compact Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) CEO Statement of Support. Having demonstrated their high-level commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality, it will be necessary to navigate these companies along the WEPs pathway enabling them to translate their commitments into corporate plans that are integrated throughout the business and across the value chain. Description of Podcasts: - In collaboration with We-Xport Programme of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), a 5-part Podcast series was developed, the objectives of which are:
- Sensitize and create awareness on the issues faced by women in the private sector
- Educate and expose markets to the critical role the private sector plays
- Promote exports as a viable business growth strategy
The episodes are as follows: - Episode 1 – We Speak Introduction
- Episode 2- Gender Equality Pays
Research shows that where businesses can successfully integrate gender equality into their strategy, the payoff is visible not only in an improved working environment but in their bottom line. In this episode - Episode 3 - Scaling Up Your Business
This episode assists with deciding on the right path to growth for businesses and provides tips for pursuit of growth. - Episode 4 - Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
The proverbial glass ceiling is often referred to when employers, especially women, seemingly reach a plateau and find it impossible to advance any further. Is the glass ceiling real? How do women break through it? And is entrepreneurship a viable alternative to the limits of the corporate world? - Episode 5 - To Europe and Beyond
This episode explores opportunities available beyond the Caribbean for regional products and services, while examining trends, key strategies for export growth and specific challenges women-owned businesses might encounter. Implications of the Brexit debate in the UK on the trade landscape for Caribbean businesses is also discussed.
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