Some
women may leave the labour market entirely. Long-established barriers may make
it harder for women to make transitions. They have less time to reskill or
search for employment because they spend much more time than men on unpaid care
work; they are less mobile due to physical safety, infrastructure, and legal
challenges; and have lower access to digital technology than men. Policymakers
and businesses need to step up interventions, targeted at women, to overcome
these barriers.
High
priorities include more investment in training and transitional support; more
provision of childcare and safe and affordable transportation; addressing
stereotypes about occupations; boosting women’s access to mobile internet and
digital skills in emerging economies; and supporting women entrepreneurs.
McKinsey Global Institute found in its research that 40 million
to 160 million women—7 to 24 percent of those currently employed—may need to
transition across occupations (the wide range reflects different paces of technology).
For men, the range is comparable at 8 to 28 percent. If women take advantage of
transition opportunities, they could maintain their current share of
employment; if they cannot, gender inequality in work could worsen.
To make
these transitions, women will need new skills.
In mature economies, only jobs requiring
a college or advanced degree may experience net growth in demand. In emerging
economies, the many women working in subsistence agriculture with little education
may have difficulty securing work in other sectors. Even women remaining in their
current jobs will need to refresh their skills; they could be more prone than
men to partial automation of their jobs and will need to learn to work
alongside automated systems.
More women
work in lower-paid occupations than men.
In mature economies, demand for high-wage
labour is expected to grow, while demand for medium- and low-wage labour could shrink.
Many emerging economies could experience stronger growth in demand for higher‑wage
jobs. Enabling women to move up the skills ladder could prepare them for higher-paying
jobs and more economic opportunity. However, a potential glut of workers in lower-wage
jobs—including men displaced from manufacturing—could put pressure on wages. It
also means that some women could leave the labour market entirely.
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