A new government measure for the feminist economy has been presented to improve the socio-economic and labour conditions of women working in the most feminised and precarious jobs in the city.
With a budget of 1.2 million euros and a package of 68 specific actions, the new feminist economy measure broadens municipal mechanisms for defending women’s labour rights, particularly in the most feminised and precarious sectors, such as domestic and care work, cleaning, textiles, customer support, social action, beauty treatment and welfare.
The document includes a roadmap to be applied over the next three years and based around ten strategic goals:
- Work to prevent the impact of Covid-19 making conditions worse in the most feminised and precarious jobs in the city.
- Foster more stable and secure contracts.
- Combat the so-called ‘sticky floor’ by fostering professional work opportunities and enriching work. Women face more difficulties accessing jobs with responsibility, hence the term ‘sticky floor’.
- Promote decent time organisation and co-responsibility in work-life balance.
- Fight harassment and male violence.
- Combat casual labour and the lack of social protection.
- Promote social recognition of the most precarious and feminised jobs.
- Strengthen the self-organisation and representation of women workers.
- Address unprotected labour risks.
- Combat the impact of factors of inequality which intersect with gender.
The 68 actions in the government measure for the feminist economy include:
- Strengthening labour rights defence points.
- Mediation from Barcelona Cuida to foster decent contracts for women in domestic and care work via a web platform.
- Establishment of a system of training grants at textile design schools for women in precarious situations.
- Strengthening of projects for co-responsibility in care work, such as the business initiative ‘Corresponsabilitza’t’ and the municipal childminding service ‘Concilia’.
- Empowerment workshops to combat labour harassment.
- Drafting of an anti-sexism ethics code for fairs and congresses in the city.
- Support for the creation of a professional association for women in care work.
- Creation of a phone support line to help with problems in the psycho-social sphere.
- Decentralisation of the municipal service Barcelona Cuida and its adaptation to the cultural and linguistic diversity of women in domestic and care work.