On May 1, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) joined the International Workers’ Day protest, demanding equal employment opportunities, a dignified life, health insurance, job security, and work without discrimination, regardless of ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.
The march was organized by the Collective for Feminist Thinking and Action, Myriad, and the Anarcho-Syndicalist Group of Prishtina. Workers and the currently unemployed, and trade unionists gathered in the streets of Prishtina to demand justice, equality and solidarity for all.
[KWN Marks 1 May by Protesting, Seeks Employment without Discrimination]
The march came at a time when the challenges of women in the labor market were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, making women’s welfare and economic indpenence even more difficult to achieve.
“We want decent wages,” “Employers ask me about pregnancy, not my CV” were some of the banners held by protesters to emphasize the discrimination and injustice women and girls face in the labor market.
KWN aims for economic empowerment of women, working to improve conditions for women’s participation in the workforce, and increasing the percentage of women who have access to inheritance and property.
According to KWN research, over 80% of women are not part of the labor force in Kosovo as a result of gender discrimination, but even when employed, women are paid less than men for the same work, hold lower positions, are deprived of the right to paid maternity leave and are exposed to sexual harassment in the workplace. This type of discrimination is especially pronounced for women who are employed in the private sector, which in most cases belong to the informal sector.
HERE you can complete the questionnaire that aims to identify the best ways to address the forms of discrimination that occur in labour market.
