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Urban Women’s Work: Mainstreaming the Informal Economy

Urban Women’s Work: Mainstreaming the Informal Economy. Alison Brown. Inclusive Cities. Women in Informal Employment - Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) global research/policy network seeks to improve the status of working poor Inclusive Cities Network nine organisations, representing

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Urban Women’s Work: Mainstreaming the Informal Economy

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  1. Urban Women’s Work: Mainstreaming the Informal Economy Alison Brown

  2. Inclusive Cities • Women in Informal Employment - Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) • global research/policy network • seeks to improve the status of working poor • Inclusive Cities Network • nine organisations, representing • 2 million workers: wastepickers, home-based workers, street vendors

  3. Emerging Economies • Informal economy mainstay of many urban economies • Provides majority of urban jobs • Employs more women than men • Can contribute to municipal income • Crucial to urban livelihoods and poverty reduction • …but, rarely exploited in LED – why?

  4. What is the Informal Economy? Legal product, extra-legal process…. Includes people in: Unwaged work Own account workers Running small business employing others Unpaid family members Waged work Employees (formal/informal businesses)

  5. Scale of the Informal Economy Informal employment in Non-Agricultural employment by Sex (1994-2000)

  6. City Governments • Many local government regulations affect IE • highways, public health, business regulation, markets, planning, social welfare etc….. • ..but LG response to IE is ambivalent • Some good practice (rarely sustained) • More common… • benign neglect … • …… systematic harassment • ….why?

  7. Critical Problems • Challenges to LGs in managing large IEs • Competing claims on urban space • Traders complain ‘they only want our vote’ • A crucial problem is lack of reliable data • numbers of workers • economic impact • No joined-up info on what LG already does for IE

  8. Wholesaler Landlord Food sellers Porters Market fees to LG Family Dependents Remittances

  9. Inclusive Cities Campaign Builds the capacity of member-based organisations • Global trade • Organisation and representation • Social security • Statistics • Urban Policies

  10. Statistics How many workers? Labour Force Survey S. Africa • annual survey - 30,000 hhds • non-agricultural workforce • occupational classifications • OCs – level 2 • craft-related trade workers (44%) • elementary occupations (eg: street vendors) (26%) • service/shop/sales workers (11%)

  11. Campaigning…StreetNet & the Durban experience • South Africa hosting • FIFA World Cup in 2010 • Campaign • World Class Cities • Street traders fear • eviction • Arguing for • World Class Citiesfor All

  12. Challenges • Recognise integral place on the IE in LED • Give recognition of role of women workers • Enable….. Women to work as Agents of Change • New partnerships? • Examples of good practice? Alison Brown, Cardiff University BrownAM@cf.ac.uk

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