More women than ever before are working, but a persistent gap in status, job security, wages and education between women and men is contributing to the "feminisation of working poverty", the UN labour agency says.
In a report issued to mark International Women's Day, the International Labour Office said the number of women participating in labour markets - either in work or looking actively for work - is at its highest point. In 2006, the ILO estimated that 1.2 billion of the 2.9 billion workers in the world were women.
However, a large number of women are unemployed (81.8 million), stuck in low productivity jobs and services or receiving less money for doing the same jobs as men, it added.
The report said the share of working-age women who work or are seeking work had actually stopped growing or declined in some regions, partially due to more young women in education rather than work.
"Despite some progress, far too many women are still stuck in the lowest paying jobs, often in the informal economy with insufficient legal protection, little or no social protection, and a high degree of insecurity," said ILO director-general Juan Somavia.
"Promoting decent work as a fundamental instrument in the global quest for gender equality will go a long way in raising incomes and opportunities for women and lifting families out of poverty," he added.
At the UN headquarters, the Security Council stressed women's role in preventing and resolving conflicts and in peace-building and called on member states and the secretary
general to bolster effort to empower women and increase their representation in the decision making process.
In a presidential statement, the 15-member Council stressed the "importance of (women's) equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security" and the "need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution".
The Council urged member nations to enhance women's representation at "all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms."
It also urged Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to forge ahead with his policy to appoint more women to senior positions as well as to increase their participation in UN field-based operations as military observers, civilian police, human rights and humanitarian personnel.
Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, which holds the Security Council's rotating presidency this month, read out the statement at a formal meeting held on the eve of International Women's Day, marked each year on March 8.
Regarding the landmark resolution, which was adopted in 2000 and aims to boost women's role in conflict prevention, peace-keeping and peace-building operations, Kumalo said the Council called on Ban and member states, in collaboration with the civil society, to "strengthen its implementation".
The Council also said it "remains deeply concerned by the pervasiveness of violence against women and girls in armed conflict", condemning such practices as killing, maiming and grave sexual conflict in these situations and appealing for an end to impunity for acts of gender-based violence.
The report said women must be given the chance to work themselves and their families out of poverty through creation of employment opportunities that help them secure productive and remunerative work in conditions of freedom, security and human dignity.
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