Arab Women Trade Unionists Advocate for a Care Economy Agenda

On November 29, the Arab Women Trade Union Seminar kicked off under the theme “Towards an Arab Trade Union Agenda to Strengthen the Care Economy”, jointly organized by the Arab Trade Union Confederation and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) as part of the Masawah Forum activities.

During the opening, Executive Secretary Hind Ben Ammar highlighted the unequal burden of care work, noting that married women are the largest group in this sector—posing a significant barrier to increasing women’s participation in the workforce. She emphasized the vital role of paid care services in reducing female unemployment as the sector expands and its employment capacity grows.

Hind Ben Ammar stressed that Arab trade unions have the potential to influence national policies to align with ILO recommendations, including expanding care services from early childhood and developing long-term care options. The trade union agenda should also focus on professionalizing care work, improving job quality in vulnerable care sectors, investing in national time-use surveys, and challenging gender norms.

Several women trade unionists shared their organizations’ experiences in promoting the economic and social rights of care economy workers.