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Crisis and austerity are jeopardizingWith the onset of austerity measures since 2010,women’s economic and social rightsthere have also been significant cutbacks inThe 2008 global economic crisis and the austerity government spending on welfare services andpolicies that followed in many countries sincebenefits. Spending on child benefits, for example,2010 have further curtailed progress towards the which had peaked in Europe in 2009, fell back torealization of women’s economic and social rights. 106 below 2008 levels. 110 In developing countries, cutshave affected subsidies for food, fuel, electricityOverall, employment expansion in the 2000s has and transport and threatened the expansion ofbeen sluggish, and the rise in female labour force emerging social protection programmes. 111 Theseparticipation has slowed down after significant effects of economic crisis and austerity continuegrowth in previous decades. Gains in women’s to be felt and may continue to jeopardize therights at work are limited: in sub-Saharan Africa realization of women’s economic and socialand South Asia, particularly, the majority of working rights in the coming years. 112women remain concentrated in low-paid, lowqualityforms of employment that do not provide ADDRESSING STEREOTYPING, STIGMAeven basic rights at work (see Chapter 2).AND VIOLENCEParticularly in developed countries, there has Stereotyping, stigma and violence oftenbeen retrogression in social and economic rights. compound material disadvantage andIndustries where men were strongly represented— prevent women from accessing services andsuch as construction and finance—were most opportunities that could improve their position.severely affected by the crisis. As a result, theBeing subjected to violence, for example, is notgender gap in unemployment narrowed in the only a violation of one’s dignity and physicalimmediate aftermath of the crisis through a process and mental well-being but can also leadof levelling down: more men lost jobs than women. to homelessness and poverty. 113 PreventingHowever, where economic recovery is taking place— maternal mortality is not simply about scalingfor example in the United States of America (United up technical interventions or making healthStates)—men’s employment is recovering faster than care affordable but is also about addressingwomen’s. 107stigma and discrimination on the part of serviceproviders that can influence women’s decisionsThe effects of crisis and austerity policies were to seek reproductive health-care services. 114less acute in developing countries, but they did puta brake on employment creation and on public Gender stereotyping translates into genderinvestment in infrastructure and services. In Asia, segregation first in the education system andwomen have been much more affected than subsequently in the labour market. Girls aremen by job losses due to their concentration in still less likely than boys to choose scientific andthe export-oriented manufacturing sector, which technological fields of study and, when theyhas been particularly hard hit. 108 Moreover, the do, are less likely to take up high-paying jobspersistence of high and volatile global food prices in those fields. These ‘choices’ are informed byfollowing the 2008 price hikes has affected the rights stereotypes about suitable occupations for girlsof millions of people to food and to an adequate rather than based on ability. 115 Similarly, in thestandard of living. Faced with higher food prices, labour market, women are over-representedhouseholds are shifting to cheaper and lower-quality in clerical and support grades, rather thanfood items and eating less diverse diets, which often in managerial roles, as well as in ‘caring’means additional time and effort expended by professions, which tend to be low paid (seewomen in buying and preparing food. 109 Chapter 2). 11649