Women worldwide are not receiving the right to social security – COVID was the brink for inequality
OHCHR 23 – (HCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. The office was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 1993[3] in the wake of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.) 7-21-2023, United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, "Women and girls deserve full access to social security," https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2023/07/women-and-girls-deserve-full-access-social-security //mish
The right to social protection is a human right, but so many women and girls worldwide still can’t access it, according to a recent UN Human Rights report on social protection. “In times of social and economic instability, social protection shields those that are most affected,” said Mahamane Cisse-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, UN Human Rights. “It helps prevent social exclusion and promotes social inclusion.” The COVID-19 pandemic, climate emergencies and related emerging conflicts, and increasing inequality have made the gender gap even worse for social security, Cisse-Gouro added. Other reasons for this gap are caused by their position in society as girls may have their education interrupted due to early pregnancy, child, early and forced marriage, or be responsible for most of the domestic work, leading to less access to formal employment and subsequent contribution-based social security, Cisse-Gouro added. Women also find themselves in the lowest paid jobs. Their reproductive and care roles often force them to opt out from or interrupt their access to formal employment. Older women often face a gender pension gap, he stressed. This is especially true for migrant women who are more likely to be employed in jobs that lack occupational health and safety, according to Michele LeVoy, Director of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. “One of the key barriers for undocumented migrant women in accessing services or justice is the fear that they might be detained and deported,” LeVoy said during the panel event. Cisse-Gouro said to overcome all these problems, women themselves must have a say in decisions that impact them the most. “That is the most effective way to find solutions and to secure their right to social protection is fully realized,” he said. “Yet, men continue to be over-represented in national parliaments and women continue to be under-represented in leadership positions in the private sectors and trade unions. There is a lack of women’s participation in public and political life in relation to shaping and influencing social protection policies.”