"Adopting a Gender-Sensitive approach to Living Wages is imperative to Women Worker's Rights", 9 January 2020

Current living wage calculation methodologies risk setting a living wage too low, cementing the position of women workers, in which they face multiple poverty related - gender specific burdens...

[W]omen... represent up to 80% of [the garment industry's]... workforce... Gender discrimination within factories mean women are more affected by low wages [and insecurity]... Migrant women workers are especially prone to exploitation...

“Will women workers benefit from living wages?”... identifi[es] three main issues: First, the basic food basket should not solely reflect the lowest possible prices, this is an unjust and unrealistic calculation.... Second, there is a need for a broader definition of ‘family’ that includes family care networks... beyond the immediate household. Third... because of... societal expectations on women... it is crucial that the living wage estimate reflects unpaid care work...

A living wage... can be a powerful tool for improving the working and living situation of women, but only if a gender-sensitive focus is applied.