24 May 1989

15th plenary meeting

Equality in economic and social participation

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 40/108 of 13 December 1985, in which the Assembly endorsed the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,

Noting that progress in achieving de jure equality between women and men has been steady,

Welcoming the clear improvement in some indicators of equality in social participation in most regions, but concerned that progress in other regions is slowing,

Gravely concerned that the pace of achieving de facto equality, particularly equality in economic participation, has evidently been slowing in most countries over the past decade,

Bearing in mind the important economic contributions of women to their communities,

Recognizing that equality for women is closely linked to their economic independence,

Recalling the Plan of Action on Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Men and Women in Employment of the International Labour Organisation,

Noting that various affirmative action policies can accelerate the elimination of discrimination against women,

1. Urges Governments to give high priority to measures and temporary affirmative action programmes that will more rapidly bring about equality in women's economic participation, in particular to programmes that will ensure the following:

(a) Women's access to the labour market and to education and training;

(b) Elimination of sex segregation in the labour market and in education;

(c) Women's participation in trade unions;

(d) Equal pay for equal work;

(e) Equal access to economic resources, including credit and membership in co-operatives;

(f) Improved conditions in the informal sector including, where desirable, the application of labour standards, and the development or improvement of sex-disaggregated statistics that accurately reflect women's work in the informal economic sector;

2. Also urges Governments that have not yet done so to ratify conventions of the International Labour Organisation on equal pay and working conditions;

3. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-fourth session, in carrying our its review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, to consider measures to accelerate the pace of achieving equality in economic and social participation, including the definition and compilation of bench-mark statistical indicators that could be used for national, regional and international reporting, as well as affirmative action programmes;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to present to the Commission at its thirty-fourth session examples of affirmative action programmes that would be effective for the achievement of equality in economic and social participation;

5. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its thirty-fourth session proposals for the definition and compilation of bench-mark statistical indicators of equality in economic and social participation.