Policy Network, Brussels Jody Heymann M.D., Ph.D. 5 December, 2007

1. Advancing Social Justice “At Home”: Can We Shape Social Policies that Make the Dynamics of the Current Globalization Socially and Politically Sustainable? Policy Network, Brussels Jody Heymann M.D., Ph.D. 5 December, 2007

2. Making Globalization Work: Meeting the Opportunities and Threats • Economic opportunities for all nations • Risks at a national level • Opportunities for individuals as consumers and in daily life • Opportunities for workers in expanding economies • Risks for workers as industries in specific nations contract

3. Social and Political Sustainability will Require Simultaneously: • Addressing the impact of globalization on the availability and quality of work in high income countries • Improving the opportunities globalization provides to the poorest workers in all countries—low, middle, and high income • Ensuring that amidst the economic transformation, solutions are found that support the healthy development of the next generation

4. To Achieve This Requires: Recognizing simultaneous major socio-demographic transformation: Labor force Urbanization Globalization

5. Women’s Economic Activity 1970

6. Women’s Economic Activity 1990

7. Women’s Economic Activity 2010

8. Urbanization 1970

9. Urbanization 1990

10. Urbanization 2006

11. Examples of Opportunities and Risks • Labor Transformation: Opportunity: increased gender equality, opportunity to escape poverty. Risk: parental constraints in the availability for caregiving. • Urbanization: Opportunity: economic growth and new work possibilities. Risk: separation from extended families and other traditional supports. • Globalization: Opportunity: national policymakers and international organizations could set standards for decent working conditions. Risk: pressure on workers to accept low wages and inadequate working conditions.

12. Research Program Components • Mapping Global Trends: over 170 countries. • In-depth Ethnographic Studies: more than 1,000 in-depth interviews in 6 countries in 5 regions. • Statistical Analysis of National Household Surveys: 55,000 households from 7 countries on 5 continents. • Systematic Review of Legal and Policy Framework: examination of policies in 180 nations. • Case Studies: comprehensive studies of companies in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

13. Current Challenges Include: • Well recognized changes in job security, wages, and bargaining position of labor. • New challenges due to simultaneous transformation that are profoundly affecting: • economic outcomes of families • healthy development of the next generation • long term prospects

14. Percentage of Families with At Least One Child Not Enrolled in School Mexico Brazil When Low-Income Single Parents Have Young Children Needing Care, School-Age Children’s Enrollment Is at Highest Risk Source: Data from national household surveys. Analyses in the above figure are based on households with a 6 -14 year old child.

15. Childcare Policies Can Make a Significant Difference: Seguro Social provides childcare for workers in the private formal sector Percentage Of Families Who… Public policies provide formal childcare Frequency Children Are Left Alone or in the “Care” of Other Children Source: Data from Project on Global Working Families in-depth interviews with working caregivers. Analysis is based on households with a 0-5 year old.

16. Percentage of Parents Who Had to Leave ChildHome Alone Sick When Parents Have Decent Working Conditions, They Are Less Likely to Have to Leave Children Home Alone Sick Source: Data from Project on Global Working Families in-depth interviews with working caregivers. Analyses in the above figure are based on households with a 0-14 year old child.

17. Moving as Individual Nations- What Can be Done? • Examined policy data on 180 countries • Looked at regional leaders on economic competitiveness and unemployment • Looked at regional leaders in human development indicators • Case studies on countries that had both characteristics

18. Moving as a Global Community- What Can be Done

19. Higher Income Countries Conditions at work for individuals and families that help prevent job loss Supports, including childcare, that help avoid job loss Educational opportunities Lower Income Countries More jobs with wages and benefits above current base Conditions at work for individuals and families that help prevent job loss Supports, including childcare, that help avoid job loss Educational opportunities Addressing Inequalities in Short and Intermediate Terms

20. Higher Income Countries Having highly educated, high productivity workforce Not having to compete with labor costs that leave workers in poverty Lower Income Countries Having highly educated, high productivity workforce that can get higher wage jobs Having infrastructure developed Addressing Inequalities in Long Term

21. Work, Family, and Equity Index Research Background • The Work, Family, and Equity Index is the first venture to systematically define and measure successful public policies for working families in 180 countries. The evidence-based study uses extensive data from independent research, government sources, academic institutions, professional organizations, and a wide range of international bodies including the UN, OECD, the World Bank, and the ILO. • The Work, Family, and Equity Index is part of the Project on Global Working Families, the first program devoted to understanding and improving the relationship between working conditions around the world and family health and well-being.

22. Strong Consensus in International Conventions • Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection” and “everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay”. • CEDAW (accepted by 177 countries): all signatories are required “a) to prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status; b) to introduce maternity leave with pay or with comparable social benefits without loss of employment, seniority, or social imbalances.” • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (signed by 192 countries): “State parties shall render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities and shall ensure the development of institutions, facilities, and services for the care of children.”

23. National Laws Significant consensus in setting in place national laws guaranteeing basic labor standards: • At least 143 countries guarantee paid annual leave • At least 129 countries provide mandatory day of rest per week • At least 159 countries provide paid sick leave • 172 countries guarantee paid maternal leave • At least 109 countries protect women’s right to breastfeed at work At an earlier stage: • 69 countries guaranteed paid paternity leave • 34 countries provided paid parental leave • A few affluent countries, such as the U.S., lag behind in almost all these measures

24. Options in Equilibria: • All countries raising standards • Competition based on work minima • Investment in healthy development and education that raises base wage globally • Continuing very low wage, low skill competition

25. What Do We Need to Achieve Higher Equilibria? Implementation of international labor conventions has had mixed results. We need to work on consequences and accountability: • Incentives: link economic benefits such as increased access to markets to compliance with international labor standards • Sanctions: link labor standards to trade agreements without increasing protectionism; one possible approach is through regional agreements • Report Cards: have outside bodies report on countries’ compliance with international labor conventions to their national constituencies

26. What Do We Need to Address in Education? Commitment to Early Childhood Care and Education and school-age children’s chances: • Investing in education is particularly important for children living in poverty • Investments in ECCE have long-term benefits for economic growth and development and for both preschool and school-age children • Poor countries will need funding assistance from rich countries and international organizations • Need a Global Fund for Early Childhood Care and Education

27. McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy www.mcgill.ca/ihsp jody.heymann@mcgill.ca For More Information: Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.