A National Research Discrimination and Dialogue “Promoting Decent Work for Women in Banking and Domestic Sectors”

Abstract

The dialogue is a one-day meeting to discuss the findings and policy implications of a three-year research project on the changing character of women’s work in Ghana and its implications for women’s livelihood security as an aspect of their citizenship rights.  
The dialogue would bring together the researchers and various stakeholders- the Labour Commission, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the TUC, public and private employment agencies, the banking sector, domestic workers and employers of domestic workers. 
Conducted by researchers from the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) at the University of Ghana, the study examines women’s work in two sectors- banking and paid domestic work. These sectors, one in the informal economy, are illustrative of some of the important developments in the character of women’s work in Ghana.  
Both the banking and domestic sectors have seen significant changes since the 1990s when economic liberalization policies began to take hold. Domestic work is increasingly being produced through agents and agencies. On the other hand, the banking sector, traditionally seen as the bastion of formality and long-term employment is changing with the introduction of labour agencies into the sector. These changes are taking place in a general context of labour market liberalization and the informalization of work in both developed and developing countries. Their particularities notwithstanding, the two sectors are illustrative of the changing character of women’s livelihoods and its implication for their citizenship rights in Ghana.