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Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Malawi (RATIFICATION: 1965)

The Committee notes the information and statistics provided by the Government in reply to its previous direct request.

1. Further to its previous comments concerning women's participation in the public sector and self-employment, the Committee notes with interest that, according the Government's report, both the public and private sectors have responded positively to government efforts to increase participation of women in national development and that the situation of women has improved significantly in various sectors such as agriculture, health and self-employment.

With regard to self-employment, the Committee notes that, according to a survey recently conducted by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, 45 per cent of all small and medium enterprises (SME) were owned by women and that 33 per cent of the beneficiaries of SME loans were women. It also notes the activities to assist women undertaken by the Ministry of Labour under the auspices of the National Commission on Women in Development (NCWID), the Chitukuko Cha M'Malawi (CCAM) and other organizations responsible for promoting the integration of women in the socio-economic development process, particularly in the rural and self-employment sectors. The Committee asks the Government in its future reports to continue to supply information on the activities of the above-mentioned organizations and the results obtained in increasing women's participation in self-employment.

With regard to the public sector, the Committee takes note of the Government's statement that, in the civil service, since 1991 women have been taking higher responsibility. It notes, however, from the statistics of the number of administrative managers in the civil service for the period 1988 to 1993, that the proportion of women is still very low and that progress over the period was scant: in 1988, the number of women throughout all categories was 16 as opposed to 198 men, i.e. 8 per cent; and in 1993, 21 women as opposed to 193 men, i.e. only 10.8 per cent. The Committee would be grateful if, in its next report, the Government would provide information on specific measures taken to remedy the situation of women in this respect, together with recent statistics enabling it to evaluate progress made.

With regard to apprentices, the Committee notes the Government's indication that there has recently been greater interest among girls to train as apprentices in trades which are traditionally dominated by men, such as mechanical engineering, electricity, carpentry, general fitting, etc. It notes, however, from the statistics of the number of persons trained under the apprenticeship scheme for the period 1988 to 1993, that although the number of female trainee applicants and the number of trained females have more than doubled over the period, they are still low by comparison with the number of men. In 1988 there were 29 female applicants out of a total of 8,197, and nine women received training out of a total of 415 trainees, i.e. 0.3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively; and in 1992, there were 82 female candidates out of a total of 7,835, and 25 women received training out of a total of 435, i.e. 1 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken, and progress made, to encourage enterprises to employ more women either as apprentices or as entrants to the labour market, particularly in respect of the above-mentioned trades.

2. With regard to training, the Committee notes the Government's statement that it has engaged in a widespread public campaign for women to take up the challenge of national development and to take a greater interest in relevant subjects so that they may equally compete with males in trades traditionally dominated by men. It adds, however, that it will be difficult to take up this challenge, in view of traditional preferences for occupation on sex lines. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged and the results obtained, to promote a more positive attitude to women's abilities and aspirations and to encourage them to undergo training for jobs in which men are traditionally in the majority.

The Committee notes from the statistics supplied by the Government on the number of persons in the civil service who have undergone international training during the period 1988 to 1993, that the proportion of women as opposed to men is very low in all courses, except in nursing where women are in the majority. It also notes the Government's statement that it is taking appropriate steps to compile data on employment and training disaggregated by sex. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain such data and that the Government will continue to provide information on the measures taken, and the results obtained, to increase the participation of women in training in general, and in training and retraining courses abroad.

3. With regard to placement, the Committee notes from the statistics of jobseekers supplied by the Ministry of Labour for the period 1987 to 1990, that in 1987 out of a total of 23,892 jobseekers, 1,824 were women, i.e. 7.6 per cent, and that out of 11,615 persons placed, 625 were women, i.e. 5.3 per cent. It also notes that during this period the number of female jobseekers and the number of females placed have increased steadily, rising from 1,824 in 1987 to 2,205 in 1990 as regards jobseekers, and from 625 to 946 for women who were actually placed. The Committee refers to Article 3(e) of the Convention, and asks the Government to provide detailed information on the manner in which placement services ensure the application of the policy of non-discrimination and on the means of action available to such services and their users when enterprises prefer to recruit men in certain jobs rather than women with the same or higher qualifications who meet all the other requirements for the job.

4. Please provide detailed information on the measures taken to promote the national policy on equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation without distinction as to political opinion, national extraction, religion and social origin, with regard to: (a) access to vocational training; (b) access to employment and to particular occupations; (c) terms and conditions of employment.