The labor ministers of the G7 countries gathered in Paris on June 6 and 7 for the G7 Social Summit. At the end of this meeting, gender equality was recognized as a priority for the world of work as a whole. The Women 7 associations now expect these commitments to be taken to the highest level in Biarritz by the leaders of the G7 countries and to result in concrete and lasting changes for workers around the world.
Professional equality among the four priorities of the G7 Social Summit
The G7 Social Summit, which brought together the labor ministers of the G7 countries, trade unions and employers' organizations, as well as several multilateral international organizations, identified four priorities:
- strengthening multilateral cooperation for greater social justice
- support for universal access to social protection adapted to changes in the world of work
- preparing individuals for digital transformations
- professional equality between women and men.
Women 7, which had submitted detailed recommendations to the G7 countries ahead of this G7 Social Summit, welcomes the inclusion of professional equality in both the G7 communiqué and the tripartite declaration. The G7 countries are committed to tackling gender gaps in pay, participation, and access to employment for women, as well as increasing women's access to well-paid, highly skilled jobs, among other things.
While Women 7 welcomes these commitments from the G7 countries, we would like to point out that these commitments in principle must now be accompanied by monitoring indicators and ambitious targets, and above all must be taken up by the heads of state and government in Biarritz to ensure that professional equality is truly a priority for this G7.
Women 7's call for support for the ILO convention
We also welcome the support for the ILO convention to combat violence and harassment in the world of work, as the International Labor Conference (ILC) opens this week. We now call on all G7 countries, as well as employer and trade union organizations, to fully support an ambitious convention that incorporates broad and inclusive definitions of violence, harassment, and the concept of workers, as well as a broad vision of the world of work that includes both public and private workplaces.
The Women 7 associations will be vigilant in ensuring that these various commitments are translated into concrete initiatives at the Biarritz Summit and beyond. Achieving real progress in promoting professional equality and economic empowerment for women is essential, especially in the context of the French presidency of the G7, which has made gender equality one of its top priorities and adopted a feminist diplomacy approach.
W7 (Women 7) brings together feminist organizations from G7 countries and around the world. Its main mission is to ensure that G7 countries make financial and political commitments in 2019 and beyond that will have a concrete and lasting impact on the lives of women and girls everywhere.
Press contact: louis.guinamard@equipop.org; +33 (0)6 25 83 95 23
