OVERVIEW
In 2018, the international community came together to establish the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM). The GCM sets out a “common understanding, shared responsibilities and unity of purpose regarding migration” in order to make “migration work for all.” This includes 23 objectives and 10 cross-cutting and interdependent principles, one of which concerns gender responsiveness. The implementation of the Compact occurs at the global, regional, national, and local level and is organized through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation and partnerships.
Labor emerges as a central policy area in Objective 2 (Minimize adverse drivers), Objective 5 (Pathways for regular migration), Objective 6 (Conditions that ensure decent work), Objective 7 (Reduce vulnerabilities), Objective 16 (Empower migrants to realize full inclusion), and Objective 18 (Invest in skills development).
For example, according to Objective 16, migrants are to be granted access to decent work for which they are qualified, as well as full participation in labor markets. Labor considerations are essential for understanding not only the drivers of migration, but also the economic status and inclusion of migrants, wherein gender dynamics play a central role.
In this policy brief, we present findings from our analysis on the gender-responsive implementation of the GCM in Europe in the area of labor using our Gender-Migration Index (GMI). The GMI is a guidance tool for gender-responsiveness and migrant-inclusion in policy planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. It consists of a three-part indicator system that centers lived experiences of women, girls, LGBTQIA+, and gender diverse migrants by strengthening civil society engagement in international review processes, such as the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF). The GMI is premised on participatory action research and reflects our vision of gender justice beyond borders and our mission of shrinking spaces between migrant communities and governing bodies.
The policy brief focuses on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted for the 2022 IMRF and includes 13 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Moldova, The Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden. Key laborrelated aspects considered in our analysis involve: wage gaps, employment discrimination, workplace harassment, gender bias in recruitment, and gender targeted employment training.