If we do nothing, the future of work is profoundly sexist. That’s not the future we want, and it’s not smart business. COVID-19’s impact on the lives of women and girls has rolled back progress on gender equality by a generation—36 years. At the same time, the pandemic and has accelerated the “fourth industrial revolution,” with social distancing and COVID restrictions moving industries towards automation and data-mined solutions. Sexism is harming women, and it’s crushing the economy. It makes work unpredictable, leads to high turnover, and reduces productivity. Women who already face discrimination, women of color, and disabled women have felt the biggest impacts. In the US alone, black women were the only people who saw unemployment rise in December 2021. Current trends show it will take 268 years to reach gender equality. This does not have to happen. We have the power to change this future if we act now. The fourth industrial revolution must build stronger foundations for everyone. If not, it rolls back the progress we made over the first three industrial revolutions that opened up rights and opportunities. Equitable recovery from COVID-19 requires tackling the structural barriers that women and girls face; stronger investments in gender equality and women’s economic opportunitiesiv; and strengthening women’s leadership in COVID-19 response, recovery and beyond. These are fundamental rights we must uphold. They are also good business sense. We have the opportunity to unlock a resilient and promising future of work—if we prioritize and invest in gender equality. That means tackling the biases and barriers women face, thinking globally, and ensuring men are as invested in equality as women are because they see benefits, too.
The humanitarian community has come a long way since the first Sex and Age Matter report was published in 2011. In the new report, Sex, age (and more) still matter, we show how that progress has been uneven. The collection and analysis of sex-, age, and disability disaggregated data do not consistently inform programming and require further commitment and investment. Read More
As the world faces unprecedented challenges, now is not the time for budget cuts. The U.S. Congress must provide robust funding in the FY24 budget to help change lives and address the root causes of poverty. Read More
In 2021, CARE Nepal supported the government and the National Farmer Groups Federation (NFGF) to host seven independent dialogues to garner inclusive participation in the UN Food Systems Summit and support the creation of Nepal’s National Pathway. Dialogues were held in all seven provinces and centered around the theme “The Rights of Marginalized Communities are the Basis for a Sustainable Food System.” Following the dialogue series, a national print media campaign was launched to highlight the relevant issues raised during the dialogues. This policy brief offers an overview of the topics covered and desired policy outcomes from dialogue participants. Read More