The Way Forward after the Revolution: Decent Work for Women in Egypt and Tunisia (Phase I)

This project aims to increase women's participation in the labour market, and to improve labour markets institutions to better assist women in post-revolution in Tunisia and Egypt.

Geographical area of implementation: Tunisia and Egypt

Project Background

Both in Egypt and Tunisia, women have played a key role as change agents in recent political events. However, they have been largely excluded from decision-making process and adequate economic participation.

This initiative is considered as necessary and strategic in highlighting the importance and need for women´s participation in the labour market as both employees and active representatives in employers and workers organizations. Social dialogue and tripartism are essential policy tools to safeguard social stability and advance gender equality in the world of work.

For social dialogue to be effective, women participation needs to be increased. More women need to gain access to leadership positions in governments, employers and workers organizations. The inclusion of women in social dialogue, as well as in collective bargaining, is a crucial step in eliminating sex discrimination and should be stimulated among all ILO constituents. This project will also ensure that through better labour market information related to women, policy design can be improved, and the challenges faced by women can be better understood.

Implementation Strategy

The project aims at:

  • Strengthening women’s abilities to participate in the labour market, and improving labour market institutions to better assist women in post-revolution Tunisia and Egypt;
  • Increasing people’s awareness and provide more information on gender issues;
  • Enhancing women's skills to increase employability;
  • Increasing women’s access to labour market institutions.

Objectives and expected outcomes

  • Women in Egypt and Tunisia are in a better position to participate in labour markets and social dialogue and to defend their rights with regards to international labour standards;
  • Social partners in Egypt and Tunisia are in a stronger position to support an increase of women participation in the labour force, enhance their position to defend their rights and participate effectively in social dialogue;
  • Labour market institutions at the national, regional and local level are better equipped to assist women;
  • Women are better equipped to participate in labour markets and find decent jobs;
  • Capacity building for national agencies for statistics and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., employment observatories) to produce timely and accurate gender disaggregated data on labour markets and evaluate the impact of employment policies on women’s labour market participation.

Implementing partners

  • Government of Egypt and Government of Tunisia.
  • Workers’ organizations.
  • Employers’ organizations.
  • Governmental and non-governmental women’s organizations.
  • National statistical agency, national and regional stakeholders in the area of labour market information and analysis.
  • Public employment services.
  • Business service providers.
  • Universities and other research institutions.

Target groups

  • Women: 1600 women will directly benefit from enhanced skills and will be trained on gender related topics;
  • Project partners are also beneficiaries as they will benefit from the various capacity building activities and technical support provided by the project.