Women's
Economic Justice
When women have decent quality work, labour rights and earn a fair living, they can escape poverty and build prosperity.
Around the world, women perform the worst work, earn less than men, do more unpaid work, and bear the brunt of the widening wealth gap.
And in many countries, husbands have the right to stop their wives from taking jobs, which isolates them and creates economic dependency. Caring for the family and home has long been the responsibility of women. This unpaid work means women and girls have less time to attend school, participate in their communities and politics, perform paid work, and care for themselves
When a woman is paid a fair and living wage and works in safe and decent working conditions, she has the power to lift herself out of poverty. This benefits her family and her community, too.
To create a more just society, we must prioritize the poor instead of the rich and powerful. We must build an economy that works for women.
What is Oxfam Doing?
We advocate for Canada to become a global leader in transformative programming for women’s economic empowerment. Together with partners around the world, we develop skills and technical training programs, and we advocate for fair wages and decent working condition to help achieve economic justice.
Challenge
traditional ideas of gender roles which contribute to economic inequality. We involve men from the start, and engage community, education, and religious leaders to get their buy-in.
Amplify
women’s voices throughout society: in labour and feminist movements, business, political participation, and leadership.
Pressure
governments to make all work paid, equal and fair for women. We urge them to recognize and redistribute unpaid care work, in Canada and globally.
Three steps you can take now
