This background paper argues that a key part of improving access to decent work and the realisation of full economic rights for women is action to transform gender norms.
The paper looks at gender bias in the economy and society – with a focus on paid and unpaid care and domestic work, the informal economy, and access to and choice over employment. It discusses the role social norms play in women’s economic disadvantage, particularly how norms structure and women’s economic experience (for example, in terms of what is valued as productive labour and what is overlooked) and the kinds of roles women take on, leading to occupational segregation.
