ILO: Young Women at a Labor Disadvantage

Being young and a woman constitutes a double challenge to the current generation of females looking for a decent job, verified a study carried out by ILO and the MasterCard Foundation.

The analysis found that the youngsters in general must overcome greater obstacles to enter the labor market than those acknowledged in the official employment figures, but the girls are in worse conditions.

Under the title "Young and Woman, a double challenge?," the text sumarizes a group of studies in the populations between 15 and 29 years of age in 32 developing countries, and the statistics show that 76 percent of the youngsters who are neither receiving formal education or working or looking for a job are women.

The women are at a disadvantage, registring the highest unemployment index (13.6 percent in 2014 against a total unemployment index of 12.6 percent) and get lower pay (the young men earned between one and 36 percent more) in all sectors and professions, according to the study.

The women are also majority in informal jobs. When the economies fail to create enough quality positions for all those looking for a job, the young women are the most disadvantaged, warned ILO.

After examining these figures, "we can conclue that though there has been some progress in gender equality-related matters, above all in the access to education, the struggle to achieve real equality in the labor world has yet to be won," said ILO.