Introduction générale

Dans le cadre du suivi du 11e Congrès de la CES, tenu à Séville (Espagne) en mai 2007, la CES a mené la quatrième édition de ce qui est devenu l’enquête annuelle du 8 mars1. L’objectif de cette enquête est d’évaluer les progrès réalisés au niveau de la réduction de l’écart de représentation hommes-femmes dans les syndicats et de mettre en lumière les activités fructueuses d’intégration de la dimension de genre organisées au sein de nos organisations affilées. Chaque année, l’enquête se concentre également sur un sujet clé pour les syndicats et/ou les institutions européennes. L’enquête de cette année aborde la question de l’impact de la crise sur l’emploi féminin.

Introduction

Women workers in the developing world are paying a heavy price as the global economic crisis unravels their rights, their livelihoods, and their families’ welfare – with knock-on effects that could last for generations.

Introduction

Oxfam’s work on UK poverty
Oxfam’s programme in the UK aims to : develop projects with people living in poverty to improve their lives and show how things can change ; raise public and politicians’ awareness of poverty and its causes ; and lobby to bring about change. The programme works in the areas of gender, livelihoods, labour rights, social cohesion, and changing public attitudes to pover ty.
Oxfam believes that policies to tackle poverty and social inclusion will be more effective if excluded women’s needs are mainstreamed into policy and practice. In line with this approach, Oxfam has been involved with partners in Austria and Italy, in the transnational ‘GenderWorks’ project during 2007-09, funded by the European Commission’s ‘PROGRESS’ Programme. In the UK, GenderWorks has trained groups of women at grassroots level to hold decision- makers to account and has encouraged decision- makers to use gender analysis to reveal the position of women.

Introduction

East Asia is an economically fast moving and dynamic region, which has provided many lessons to the rest of the world, no less so during this current global financial crisis. Having suffered a major financial meltdown in the 1990s, East Asian governments have demonstrated in their response to this financial crisis that they have learned critical lessons by providing timely stimulus packages and have proactively targeted those who generally are more vulnerable to shocks.
But have governments really understood the impact of the crisis on the least resilient and tailored their support to meet their needs ?
Oxfam recognises that women experience poverty differently from men ; at times of acute pressure women are expected to bring in income, run a household, care for children and elders and more. This study seeks to identify and recognise how the financial crisis has impacted on women in order test whether East Asian governments are doing enough to support the most vulnerable – the evidence we have collected points clearly to the fact that women have been particularly and directly impacted by the financial crisis and therefore on the households they support ; and that governments, by directly addressing the key challenges identified can ensure that more people do not slide back into, or further into, poverty.
Oxfam requests key stakeholders in the region to take note of the research findings and recommendations and to work with us and with others to develop and implement critical policies and solutions.
Oxfam would like to acknowledge the support of Dr.Yada Praparpun, the lead researcher, for conducting this study and to also thank Irish Aid for their funding support.