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Empowerment Series for Young Parliamentarians- Equal care for equal representation
Summary
Time: 13:00 to 15:00 CET
According to the International Labour Organization, over 16 billion hours of unpaid care work are performed daily – an amount that would account for 9% of global GDP, or around $11 trillion per year, if paid at the minimum wage. The responsibility for unpaid care work worldwide falls disproportionately on women and girls, leaving them less time for education, leisure, political participation, paid work and other economic activities.
The IPU’s 2021 report on Youth participation in national parliaments, based on data from the World Bank Group, found a clear correlation between the availability of childcare support and the proportion of women in parliament. According to this data, providing government support to employees, childcare providers and parents may increase women’s representation in national parliaments by 25% or more.
Parliaments, governments, civil society and businesses are recognizing the need to address paid and unpaid care roles to further gender equality and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The IPU Member Parliaments adopted the Kigali Declaration in 2022, in which men and women parliamentarians committed to set an example in society by undertaking 50% of the daily care work for their families.
To follow up on this work and mobilize young MPs to find solutions from a policy-making perspective, the IPU is organizing the ninth online briefing of its Empowerment Series for Young Parliamentarians on Equal care for equal representation.
Simultaneous interpretation will be available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
Background documents:
- Plan of Action for Gender-sensitive Parliaments
- Kigali Declaration: Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world
- Youth participation in national parliaments (2021)
- I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign