A Gender-responsive Analysis of Advancing Social Protection and Labour Rights in the Coffee and Tea Sectors in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
A Gender-responsive Analysis of Advancing Social Protection and Labour Rights in the Coffee and Tea Sectors in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Gender roles in the workforce are a priority consideration in the development work that emerged from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have been integrated into national agendas and relevant strategies. To achieve the gender-transformative objectives that arose out of advocacy and policymaking, gender mainstreaming must play a vital role in the implementation and institutionalisation of legislation, dialogue, research, consultations, resource allocation, planning, and monitoring and evaluation. Under the “Reducing Vulnerability in the Lao PDR: Advancing Social Protection and Labour Rights and its Entitlements in the Coffee and Tea Sectors (SOLAR)” project, implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Oxfam in Lao PDR and funded by the European Union, gender-responsive social protection is integrated into project activities to promote the participation, empowerment, and leadership of women working in the coffee and tea sectors in the Bolaven plateau. The main objectives of SOLAR are to raise awareness among women of their rights and enhance their ability to make decisions. This paper on promoting gender roles in social protection work has been created by collecting data from the implementation of the SOLAR project and analysing the problems, causes, and power relations that affect women's participation and access to social protection, especially among informal female workers in the tea and coffee sectors. In addition, this paper serves as a technical reference to propose improvements in policy and legislation, as well as how to implement activities to promote gender equity in the future