Challenges facing women workers locally and internationally

The majority of women in the world - women workers - have not only suffered from exploitation by the bosses, they also face oppression as women in society and from their husbands and partners at home. According to the 1996 Human Development Report, of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty in the world, 70% are women. Twice as many women as men cannot read or write, and girls are 60% of the 130 million children who have no access to primary education. Women produce half of the world’s food but own around 1% of the world’s land. The number of rural women living in poverty has increased by 50% in the last twenty years, compared to 3% for men. Women also represent the highest percentage of the unemployed. The problems of women workers are not personal, individual problems. They are social problems which women suffer as members of this society, as workers and as women. So, if we want to address and work towards solving women workers’ problems, we have to tackle them as part of the problems of the whole society