ILO-EBRD Report Proposes Three Models of Early Childhood and Education to increase Women’s Employment
The report prepared by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Turkey and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to increase women’s employment by alleviating the burden of early childhood care on women proposes three models of early childhood care and education (ECCE): Organized Industry Zone (OIZ) Practice in cooperation with employers, Municipal Practice led by municipalities, and Labour Union Practice by unions organized at workplace.
The report prepared in cooperation with the ILO Office for Turkey and EBRD to increase women’s employment by alleviating the burden of early childhood care, one of the largest barriers to women’s participation in labour markets, presents three ECCE models led by employers, municipalities and labour unions and through inter-institutional cooperation, and calls for promoting such models.
The report is an outcome of comprehensive examination of the legal framework regulating ECCE services, policies employed, roles of service providers, and good practices in Turkey and in the world, as well as soliciting the contributions and views of public agencies, workers’ and employers’ organizations, local governments, private sector and civil society. The report was prepared within the scope of the “More and Better Jobs for Women” Programme implemented by the ILO Office for Turkey with funding from Sweden.
Employers may cooperate among themselves to open ECCE centres by sharing the costs and responsibilities of opening and operating an ECCE centre relying on a present premises and cooperation without having to toil for some other organization.
The Municipal Practice responds to local needs, which refers to opening ECCE centres through cooperation between employers and municipalities to provide childcare services.
Where employers are not willing to assume the responsibility of an ECCE centre within their locations, or workplaces have no suitable space that can be converted to ECCE centres, employers may cooperate with municipalities to assume a part or all of the costs of opening or operating ECCE centres.
The Labour Union Practice as named in the report refers to labour unions as another entity that may directly and/or indirectly contribute to providing childcare services. Accordingly, labour unions may directly open and operate ECCE centres, or cost-share with employers, or support the inclusion of clauses for provision of childcare services in the collective labour agreements.
The report also underlines that it is essential to alleviate the burden of care on women through accessible and quality care services, and create comprehensive legal regulations and structural arrangements and undertake investments to promote early childhood education and care services in good quality.
Purpose is to Promote Accessible, Quality and Affordable ECCE Models
Premised on the idea that providing accessible, quality and affordable ECCE services will alleviate women’s burden of care, thereby contribute to women’s participation in labour markets and access to better jobs, the report “Supporting Women’s Employment through Institutional Collaboration on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Practices” proposes three models of childcare, namely Organized Industry Zone (OIZ) Practice in cooperation with employers, Municipal Practice led by municipalities, and Labour Union Practice by unions organized at workplace, and emphasizes the importance of promoting such practices.The report is an outcome of comprehensive examination of the legal framework regulating ECCE services, policies employed, roles of service providers, and good practices in Turkey and in the world, as well as soliciting the contributions and views of public agencies, workers’ and employers’ organizations, local governments, private sector and civil society. The report was prepared within the scope of the “More and Better Jobs for Women” Programme implemented by the ILO Office for Turkey with funding from Sweden.
Extensive and Accessible Childcare Services Means Decent Jobs for Women
Noting that childcare is mostly shouldered by women who have to leave labour markets or engage in informal forms of work due to care responsibilities following birth, the report underlines that institutionalized and expansion of childcare services will help women have better quality, better protected and safer work, i.e. decent work, in various sectors.Presence of Childcare Services will also Contribute to Achieving Gender Equality
The report also emphasizes that affordable and quality care services will alleviate the burden of care on women, enabling women to participate in greater numbers in labour markets, as well as contributing to achieving gender equality.Proposed Models
The Organized Industry Zone (OIZ) Practice, one of the proposed models in the report, names OIZs as one of the most suitable places to build cooperation among employers for providing childcare services.Employers may cooperate among themselves to open ECCE centres by sharing the costs and responsibilities of opening and operating an ECCE centre relying on a present premises and cooperation without having to toil for some other organization.
The Municipal Practice responds to local needs, which refers to opening ECCE centres through cooperation between employers and municipalities to provide childcare services.
Where employers are not willing to assume the responsibility of an ECCE centre within their locations, or workplaces have no suitable space that can be converted to ECCE centres, employers may cooperate with municipalities to assume a part or all of the costs of opening or operating ECCE centres.
The Labour Union Practice as named in the report refers to labour unions as another entity that may directly and/or indirectly contribute to providing childcare services. Accordingly, labour unions may directly open and operate ECCE centres, or cost-share with employers, or support the inclusion of clauses for provision of childcare services in the collective labour agreements.
Policy Recommendations
Authored by Prof. Dr. Saniye Dedeoğlu, Dr. Aslı Şahankaya Adar and Yasemin Sırali, the report notes that a multi-stakeholder approach is needed to provide childcare services, thus enable more women to work in decent conditions, and emphasizes the importance of cooperation among public and private sectors, municipalities, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and civil society.The report also underlines that it is essential to alleviate the burden of care on women through accessible and quality care services, and create comprehensive legal regulations and structural arrangements and undertake investments to promote early childhood education and care services in good quality.