Women Entrepreneurs in Central America: Four Case Studies on Women Entrepreneurs in Central America.
Detailed analyses that demonstrate factors that influence women's decision-making regarding entrepreneurship. They also show that improving their economic opportunities are not only beneficial for their families, but also for the economies and labor markets in their countries. It complements the Global Report Women in business and management: Arguments for Change.
Document  Spanish  English 

actempconosur.org
Areas: * SMEs and the challenge of labor formalization; * Business, inclusion and disability; * Women and business; * Human Rights and Business; * Improving productivity challenge; * Employment, training and job skills; * Enterprise, leadership and representation * Sustainable companies. Development conditions.
Website  Spanish 

Convention No. 156: Workers with Family Responsibilities (1981).
Masterclass: Convention No. 156: Workers with Family Responsibilities in Latin America, Gender Equality Model of the ILO SCORE Program
Video  Spanish 

Convention No. 111: Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) (1958).
Convention No. 111: Discrimination (Employment and Occupation)
Video  Spanish 

Convention No. 183: Maternity Protection (2000).
Masterclass: Business Gender Equality / ILO Convention 183
Video  Spanish 

Convention No. 100: Equal Remuneration (1951).
Master class: Equal pay / ILO Convention 100
Video  Spanish 

Masterclass: Business Gender Equality / ILO Convention 190
Masterclass: violence and harassment, ILO Convention 190
Video  Spanish 

Realities of Indigenous Women: Insight from the Indigenous Navigator
As a result of a collective and community-based data collection exercise based on the Indigenous Navigator framework and instruments, this report identifies and examines the experiences, needs, concerns and aspirations of indigenous women in 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The report highlights the inequalities and multiple discrimination faced by indigenous women, placing them in an especially vulnerable situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report  Spanish  English 

Small and Medium Enterprises Unit
In line with the decent work agenda of the ILO, the Small and Medium Enterprises Unit seeks to unlock the potential of creating more and better jobs in small businesses - a sector where the bulk of employment is being provided.
Website  English 

Four approaches to self-employed women in Bolivia
The compendium of studies presented in this publication has been prepared by the United Nations System in Bolivia, within the framework of the Joint Program, financed by the MPTF COVID-19 fund and with the inter-agency work of the ILO, UN Women and UNDP. This compendium seeks to contribute to the analysis of the different situations of self-employed women in their search for formalization.
Report  Spanish 

Characterization of informal self-employed women in Bolivia
The study identifies the economic and social contribution of self-employed women in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz in terms of production and employment, as well as the different problems they face: job insecurity, inability to access social protection services, unmet demands in terms of training and predominant occupation of time in tasks related to home care.
Report  Spanish 

Mapping of policies, programs and actors in the processes of formalization of self-employed women in Bolivia
The study identifies the main policies and programs applied in Bolivia from 1990 to 2020, aimed at formalizing the economy. At the same time, it tries to classify these measures into pillars and general strategies recommended for formalization.
Report  Spanish 

Sectors and value chains with the potential to employ informal self-employed women in Bolivia
The study identifies the sectors and evaluates, through the Rapid Market Assessment (RMA) methodology, the value chains with the greatest potential to provide sustainable employment to self-employed women in the informal economy in Bolivia.
Report  Spanish 

Sectors with potential for formal entrepreneurship for self-employed women in Bolivia
The study identifies three emerging, dynamic and conducive sectors for self-employed women in the informal economy in Bolivia to establish formal and sustainable enterprises: trade in agroecological products, e-commerce and restaurants with agroecological products.
Report  Spanish 

Integrated framework for assessing an enabling environment for the development of women entrepreneurs in El Salvador.
The report analyzes the environment for the development of women's entrepreneurship in El Salvador. It was led by the National Commission for Micro and Small Enterprises (CONAMYPE) and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU).
Report  Spanish 

National Assessment of the Development of Women's Entrepreneurship (WED) - Chile
The report analyzes six important framework conditions for women's entrepreneurial development in Chile and finds that women entrepreneurs face gender-specific barriers, including a tendency to have less confidence in their own performance, micro-machismos, and unpaid care work responsibilities.
Report  Spanish 

Women's Empowerment: A Driving force for economic recovery and more
The objective of this document is to present the fundamental role that women's economic empowerment plays in the economic recovery, for which it delves into the messages shared during the conference of women entrepreneurs on December 8, 2020. Women should be at the center of the pandemic response and economic recovery.
Document  Spanish 

Women in Business Management and Development/ Costa Rica
This report addresses two key dimensions for the economic empowerment of women in Costa Rica, their role in business management with emphasis on the participation of women in the management of the company and the role of women in business development. ILO Methodology: Women and Entrepreneurship Methodology, and "Women's Entrepreneurship Development" (WED) methodology
Report  Spanish 

Women in Business Development - Honduras
This report addresses a key dimension for the economic empowerment of women in Honduras: their role in business development, focusing the analysis on the situation they are going through as entrepreneurs and to what extent the country offers the ideal conditions to enhance it.
Report  Spanish 

Assessment of framework conditions for women's business development - Trade and industry sectors in Mexico City
The purpose of this report is to identify barriers and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the trade and industry sectors in Mexico City.
Report  Spanish 

Business transformation new opportunities for business organizations
This report analyzes five major trends affecting business and the workplace, as well as the implications they have for businesses in terms of their strategies, business models, operations and workforce needs. The main objective of this analysis, supported by the views of C-level executives from 500 companies around the world, is for entrepreneur organizations (EOs), but also companies, policymakers and other stakeholders, to understand the challenges that companies face in light of these global trends.
Report  Spanish 

Episode 7, SME/ Digitalization has been a great effort but it has been worth it/ Marina Mejia
In this podcast the author explains how she carried out the transformation of her business. To modernize, she also had the help of the ILO's SCORE program. With her efforts, Marina has managed to overcome what for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains an obstacle: digitalization.
Podcast  Spanish 

The gender gap in employment: what is holding back women's advancement?
Finding work is much harder for women than for men all around the world. When women work, they often work in low-level positions and in conditions of vulnerability, and little progress is expected in the short term. Explore this InfoStory and the data underpinning these trends, and learn more about the various obstacles that prevent women from getting a decent job.
InfoStories  Spanish  English 

The power of the small: The importance of activating SMEs potential
This InfoStory will allow you to learn how the ILO is supporting SMEs to reach their full potential, helping to improve the future of work for all.
InfoStories  Spanish  English 

The gender pay gap in Latin America on the road to equal remuneration
This report is a contribution of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean with the purpose of providing technical support to our authorities to reduce the wage gap and promote the principle of equal work for equal value.
Report  Spanish 

Negotiating for gender equality
Fact sheet focusing on obstacles to gender equality at work and examples of how collective bargaining can be used as an effective tool to respond to these challenges.
Report  Spanish  English 

Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Why companies need women in management positions
Nowadays, women are more educated and more active than ever in the labor market and are increasingly working in managerial roles. Despite these achievements, their presence in managerial positions in companies is still lower than that of men. Read this InfoStory and find out why gender balance at all levels of business is mostly beneficial for businesses and the economy as a whole.
InfoStories  Spanish  English 

Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) /epic@ilo.org
Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value / Led by the ILO, UN WOMEN and the OECD, the International Equal Pay Coalition (EPIC) is a multi-stakeholder alliance to contribute to the achievement of SDG Target 8.5 which focuses on equal pay for women and men for work of equal value.
Website  Spanish 

Global overview: Women leaders and managers in employers' organizations
Report of a survey of 108 employers' organizations to identify the situation and representation of women in managerial, governance and managerial positions within employers' organizations, as well as their difficulties in promoting women within their own structures.
Report  Spanish  English 

Episode 12/ It's profitable to be kind/ Maria Graciani
The author argues that a happy company is more economically profitable because its workers feel they are part of a project. To achieve this, it is necessary to promote communication and initiative.
Podcast  Spanish 

The wage gap between men and women in Latin America/ On the road to equal pay
Equal pay for men and women is an aspiration whose demand goes back to the ILO's own Constitution, which already incorporated the principle of "equal pay for work of equal value" and which has been enshrined in the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100). This report is a contribution of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean framed in the purpose of providing technical support to our members to reduce the wage gap and promote the principle of equal work for equal value.
Report  Spanish 

Enterprise Formalization
The incidence of informal enterprises is high, particularly in developing countries where the informal economy provides a source of livelihood for people who cannot enter the formal economy. Informal enterprises are often characterised by low productivity and decent work deficits, they do not generate public revenues and they tend to engage in unfair competition with formal enterprises.
Website  English 

Diagnostic report WED - URUGUAY
The ILO, within the framework of the "Win-Win: Gender Equality means good business" Project, with the participation of the Chamber of Commerce and Services of Uruguay and the Organization of Women Entrepreneurs OMEU, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the factors that affect the entrepreneurial development of women in the country. The work was carried out with the ILO methodology "National Assessment of the Framework Conditions for the Women's Entrepreneurship Development, WED".
Report  Spanish 

Women in business management
Discussion panel: Female Entrepreneurship and Public Policies: possible perspectives
Video  Portugese 

Global Call to Action for Human-Centred Recovery
ILO/ Global Call to Action for a People-Centered Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis that Is Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient
InfoStories  Spanish  English  Portugese 

110th. Session of the International Labour Conference
Items on the agenda by the Conference or by the Governing Body: 4. Learnings (normative action, first discussion), 5. Recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of employment, in accordance with the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, 6. Decent work and the social and solidarity economy (general discussion), 7. Inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions in the ILO framework on fundamental principles and rights at work, through an amendment to paragraph 2 of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998, 8. Adoption of amendments to the Code of the Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 (subject to any amendments that might be adopted by the Ad Hoc Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 at the second part of its fourth session, in May 2022)
Report  Spanish 

Women in business and management: Arguments for a Change
Second global report that offers new perspectives on how gender diversity in management positions can improve the organizational performance of companies. These perspectives encompass the many dimensions of an organization's policies and how these can influence more women in decision-making positions.
Report  Spanish  English 

Women's entrepreneurship development assessment: Jamaica
Third Coffee Meeting, Randall Arias, Senior Activities for ILO Employers Specialist, with Claudia Coenjaerts, Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean ILO and Alexandra Araujo de Sola: Founder of Vital Voices. President of the National Committee of INCAE in El Salvador INCAE Business School. Director of Grupo Azul and Banco Azul. With the participation of Professor Consuelo Summers, CEO & Founder of Your True Potential, Expert in Transformation & Personal Brand / Masterclass: "Personal Brand: 4 keys to ensure your venture success".
Report  English 

Episode 6, Inequality/ Women are still at a job disadvantage because they are mothers/ Rosalía Vazquez Alvarez
One of the main inequalities in the world of work is between men and women. Women have less access to the labor market, have lower wages, and, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, they continue to take on a large part of household chores, hours of unpaid work that weigh heavily on their day-to-day lives. Rosalía Vazquez-Alvarez, ILO specialist on wages, explains the reasons for this inequality, which persists despite measures that try to mitigate its effects, and how women remain at a disadvantage at work because they are mothers and take care of their families.
Podcast  Spanish 

Women in Business and Management: American regional conference highlights
Video that shows highlights from the regional conference for Latin America and the Caribbean organized by the ILO Bureau for Employers' Activities (ACT/EMP) and the National Confederation Private Business Institutions (CONFIEP) in May 2017 in Lima, Peru.
Video  English 

Access to financial services
Workshop: Promotion lines for entrepreneur women to foster good business practices
Video  Portugese 

Childcare leave and services from a women ’s entrepreneurship development perspective
This brief provides an overview of current gaps in terms of care policies and provision of care services primarily for women entrepreneurs and highlights existing intervention models to expand provision and contribute to job and enterprise growth in the sector within the framework of the ILO’s approach to care leave and care provision.
Document  Spanish  English 

Report  Spanish 

Report  Spanish 

Report  Spanish 

ILO-WED Programme/ Creating a conducive environment for women's entrepreneurship development: Taking stock of ILO efforts and looking ahead in a changing world of work
This Compendium provides an overview of 19 ILO projects and programmes supporting women’s entrepreneurship and gender equality across different contexts. Recognizing the transformative potential of the ILO strategy on promoting women’s entrepreneurship development of 2008 and the ways in which ILO interventions contribute to its mandate, this compendium provides an overview of 19 recent ILO projects and programmes supporting women’s entrepreneurship and gender equality across different contexts.
Report  English 

Spanish 

Report  Spanish