author:

1
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco

University of California
March 2001
Women, Work, Health, and the Quality of Life A
Summary of the Eleventh International Congress
on Womens Health Issues 2629 January 2000,
San Francisco, California Sponsored by the
International Congress on Womens Health Issues
(ICOWHI) and the University of California, San
Francisco Teri G. Lindgren and Afaf Meleis
IGCC
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
2
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Primary UN Goals Re the Status of Women

• Gender equity
• Equality in health and human development
• These goals come out of the Cairo and Beijing
  Declarations and the Platforms for Action adopted
  by the United Nations in 1995 and reaffirmed in
  June 2000.

2 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
3
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Achieving the UNs Goals

• Barriers to gender equality and equity must be
• considered,
• addressed,
• and removed.
• One overwhelming barrier is an incomplete
  definition of work that negatively affects
  womens lives.

3 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
4
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Defining Work
Websters Third New International Dictionary
defines work as an 1 activity in which one
exerts strength or faculties to do or
perform a sustained physical or mental
effort, valued as it overcomes
obstacles and achieves a direction or
result. b the labor, task, or duty that
affords one an accustomed means of
livelihood.
4 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
5
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Narrowly Defining Work

• Although Websters provides a broad definition,
  current policies around the globe define work as
  solely activities that
• generate income
• produce goods
• occur within the public sphere

5 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
6
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Mens Work Versus Womens Work

• Work done by men occurs mainly within the public
  sphere
• Mens work usually remunerated, that is, wages
  are provided in exchange for labor
• Mens work typically takes place in the formal
  work force
• Work done by women occurs mainly within the
  private sphere
• It is usually unremunerated, or unpaid
• It typically takes place in the home or in the
  informal work force
• The formal labor force has become the de facto
  definition of work, leading to mens work being
  valued over womens work

6 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
7
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Consequences of A Narrow Definition of Work

• A purely financial definition of work devalues
  the unpaid, informal, non-income generating
  activities that frame womens work worldwide.
• Unpaid work by women contributes
• 50 of production in industrialized countries
• 6065 of production in the developing world
• This equals 16 trillion dollars a year not
  factored into the global economic product

7 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
8
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
What Is Womens Work?

• Womens work encompasses the spheres of social
  reproduction, social capital, and financial
  capital.
• Everything that women routinely do with or
  without pay should be considered work, such as
• maintaining households, homes, and relationships
  
• caring for children and elders
• establishing, supporting, and expanding intra-
  and inter-family networks
• volunteering within communities
• as well as financially remunerated labor

8 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
9
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Contributions of Womens Work

• Womens work contributes to
• social reproduction unremunerated
• social capital unremunerated
• financial capital remunerated
• The social reproductive and social capital
  aspects of womens work are made invisible by not
  being paid for, removing their value from the
  global economy equation.

9 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
10
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Devaluing Social Reproduction

• The work of social reproduction is not considered
  productive but is seen merely as an extension of
  gender roles.
• Examples
• In developing countries, subsistence farming is
  carried out primarily by women
• Women are not provided the same inputs as men
• less assistance
• less fertilizer
• less food
• Womens outputs are judged against those with
  greater resources
• Women seen as less productive, which justifies
  allotting them fewer resources

10 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
11
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Devaluing Social Reproduction

• In South and Southeast Asia, women spend, on
  average,
• 25 hours per day gathering fuel
• 17 hours per week fetching water
• Girls as young as 3 are expected to help their
  mothers
• However, according to an Asian labor force study
  conducted in 1994, these women would be
  considered non-working
• In developed countries, women still carry the
  burden of maintaining the household, doing three
  times as much housework as men
• Two-thirds of womens working hours are unpaid,
  opposed to one- fourth of mens.

11 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
12
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Devaluing Social Capital

• Social Capital The development and maintenance
  of community safety, harmony, and social
  cohesion
• The World Bank considers social capital a public
  good
• Social capital provides financial, educational,
  emotional, and social caring and services when
  the state refuses to or is unable to do so
• BUT the development and continuation of social
  capital is seen as expendable as long as
  financial capital grows

12 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
13
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Paid Work for Women Occurs in Informal Workplaces

• In the developing world, women work
• in family businesses
• as subsistence farmers
• as producers of goods in the home
• as traders or exchangers of goods and services
• Although this work is remunerated, it is not
  counted in economic figures.
• In the developed world, women work at home
• providing child care for others
• providing secretarial services
• doing piece work
• managing their own small businesses

13 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
14
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Paid Work for Women Occurs in Formal Workplaces

• In the civilian labor force in industrialized
  countries
• womens participation ranges from 48.9 (Japan)
  to 60.7 (U.S.)
• mens participation ranges from 61.6 (Italy)
  to 76.7 (Japan)
• In South East Asia, 2955 of women over the age
  of 15 are economically active
• Yet women earn between 2540 less than men for
  the same work

14 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
15
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
A Disparity in Earnings

• The wage gap between women and men is
  increasing in many parts of the world
• The disparity is particularly marked in the
  developing world
• The wage gap is due to the sexual segregation of
  jobs
• Women work in areas reflecting traditional
  womens roles, such as nursing, teaching, and
  service industries
• This work is seen as less risky than mens
  work, justifying lower pay, prestige, and
  decision-making power

15 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
16
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Who Is at Risk?

• Job risk is based on traditional male models of
  work
• Defined as the potential for injury when working
  with heavy machinery or equipment
• Both injuries and fatalities have decreased in
  the traditionally risky male jobs
• New models of on-the-job risk apply
• Injuries now associated with evening and night
  shifts, when workers are more fatigued.
• Fatalities occur from being on the road
  (transportation) and homicide
• Women work in areas perceived to be safe, but
• Women, especially the poor and undereducated,
  often work less desirable shifts to meet
  childcare/elder care demands
• Women are increasingly involved in jobs requiring
  driving
• Between 1992 and 1994, 39 of fatal workplace
  injuries to women were homicides compared to 14
  for men

16 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
17
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
The False Safety of Womens Work

• Women are exposed to hazardous conditions both in
  the home and in the workplace, such as
• Chronic exposure to low-level toxins in cleaning
  agents
• Stress and repetitive injuries
• Carpal tunnel syndrome, only recently recognized
  as an occupational injury, is primarily due to
  repetitive movements, which often occur with
  computer use. Although the gap is narrowing, in
  1997 women still used computers on the job more
  often than men (57 versus 44).
• Most machines are designed by men for men, so
  women are often working with ergonomically
  incongruent technology, exposing them to chronic
  injuries.
• The prevailing assumption that womens work is
  not dangerous leads to a minimization of its
  health consequences.

17 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
18
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Reliance on Womens Work in Health and Community
Services

• The health sector, perhaps more than any other
  area, has relied on unpaid work by women.
• Recent cost-cutting efforts in the health sector
  have been predicated upon the availability of
  family care. Since family care is womens work,
  women end up picking up the slack, taking on the
  job of the health institution or government
  agency for free
• Governmental and non-governmental agencies expect
  women to volunteer in community health and
  development projects
• Governmental agencies use community participation
  as a means of shifting community work to the
  shoulders of women, thereby extending their
  limited funds

18 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
19
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Consequences for Women

• The current definition of work is based upon a
  model that focuses solely on three forms of
  capitalfinancial, man-made, and basic
  resourcewhile ignoring others. This narrowness
  has
• Restricted womens access to resources
• Limited research on women and their health
• Limited the recognition of womens contributions
  to the social and fiscal well-being of societies
• Limited research into the health and safety
  consequences of work
• Led to an unequal distribution of work risks and
  rewards

19 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
20
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Consequences for Men

• Although women bear the brunt of the devaluation
  of their work, men are increasingly being
  constrained as well.
• Men who have chosen to work in womens
  occupations, such as nursing or teaching, are
  perceived as not as productive as men in
  traditional jobs.
• The number of couples in which the wife makes
  more than the husband has been increasing (16
  in 1981 to 23 in 1996), requiring men and women
  to re-evaluate their roles
• The number of men who are primary child care
  providers is increasing.
• Census Bureau data indicate that 21.9 of
  fathers are the primary providers of childcare
• When the mother works full time and the father
  is not working, fathers provide 56.6 of
  childcare

20 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
21
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
A Crisis in Childcare

• The demand for safe, affordable, and
  age-appropriate childcare is increasing as more
  women enter the formal workforce.
• However,
• The supply of childcare resources is decreasing
• Wages for childcare providers remain
  extraordinarily low
• This resource shortage prevents some women from
  taking highly demanding full-time positions,
  keeping their talents underutilized.

21 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
22
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Restricted Access to Resources and Benefits

• The devaluation of womens work has permitted a
  continued inequity in wages and access to
  resources and benefits, such as health care and
  education.
• More women than men work part time in order to
  provide care for their families but benefits are
  generally attached to full-time paid work
• Unemployment insurance, reflecting the expected
  male pattern of full-time employment, provides
  little assistance for women
• Gendered, low-paid service jobs often come with
  limited to no health benefits or leave time

22 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
23
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Restricted Access to Social Safety Nets

• Social security provides a limited buffer for
  elderly women because it is based on
  participation in the formal work force
• Benefits are indexed according to the male-based
  expectation of working full-time for 35 years.
  However, women take an average of 7.5 years off
  from their employment to provide care for their
  families, whereas men take off only 1 year,
  usually as administrative leave or sabbatical.
• Women come closest to earning parity with men
  during their younger years (2435) but lose
  significant ground when they take time out of the
  labor force. This has a lasting negative effect
  on income parity and the accrual of pensions and
  social security benefits

23 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
24
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Limitations on Research

• Researchers have not explored the full scope of
  the relationships among all aspects of womens
  work and their health.
• The separation of the public and private hampers
  health clinicians efforts to investigate
  connections between work and health
• Treating work as a dichotomous variable employed
  or not employedlimits the researchers ability
  to ask effective questions about womens
  multi-role, multidimensional lives
• For example, epidemiological studies of violence
  against women have focused either on domestic
  violence (private sphere) or workplace violence
  (public sphere) but have failed to explore the
  intersection between them
• There is little incentive to research risk
  factors specific to women

24 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
25
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Expanding the Definition of Work Policy
Implications

• Explicitly valuing social reproduction and social
  capital could help level gender inequities by
• Providing equal access to social social insurance
  programs that provide for the elderly, disabled,
  or those with work-related injuries (Social
  Security, workers compensation, and welfare
  programs)
• Redistributing the current unequal burden of
  caring for families
• Bringing womens benefits to the same level as
  men, thereby mitigating some female poverty
• Preventing health-care providers from shifting
  the burden of care to family members, female or
  male, without compensation

25 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
26
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Policy Challenge 1 A New Global Definition of
Work

• Change requires
• The rethinking of national and global economic
  models by world leaders and economic
  decision-makers such as the World Bank and the
  International Monetary Fund
• Incorporating the full scope of womens
  contribution to the world product, thereby making
  visible the economic value of social reproduction
  and social capital
• Taking into consideration the unremunerated work
  of women when determining resource needs,
  compensation, and benefits

26 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/
27
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
presented by Afaf Meleis School of Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco
University of California
March 2001
Policy Challenge 2 New Criteria for Funded
Research

• Change requires
• A more comprehensive definition of work,
  incorporating all dimensions of womens work
• Challenging the unjustified use of work as a
  dichotomous variable in research
• Collaboration among researchers from many
  disciplines to develop new models of the nature
  of work and its impact on the lives, health, and
  well-being of women, men, families, groups, and
  communities throughout the world

27 of 27
author Afaf Meleis University of California,
San Francisco Community Health Systems
Department School of Nursing 521 Parnassus
Avenue, Room N505J, Box 0608 afaf.meleis_at_nursing.u
csf.edu
Robinson Building Complex 9500 Gilman Drive La
Jolla, CA 92093-0518 phone ? 858.534.3352 fax ?
858.534.7655 email ? ph13_at_sdcc12.ucsd.edu For
full text see igcc online http//www-igcc.ucsd.ed
u/slides/