G
ender
e
quality
, W
ork
and
H
ealtH
: a r
evieW
of
tHe
e
vidence
if they enter non-traditional occupations (Cockburn, 1983; Paoli and
Merllié, 2001). In Europe, it has been found that they are also more
likely to suffer from intimidation including mobbing and psychological
harassment (Paoli and Merllié, 2001).
The division of labour in unpaid work
Although women have always played an important role in the
economy, their contributions have not been fully recognized in
research and labour market statistics that traditionally focus on paid
work. Since much of women's
work, especially in low-income
countries, is still performed in
the informal economy and in
the domestic sphere, it entails
no direct payment and as a
result it is often excluded from
money transactions. According
to calculations by the World
Bank, $11 trillion "earned" by
women and $5 trillion "earned"
by men are missing from the
global economy each year,
representing the value of unpaid work as well as the underpayment
and undervaluing of women's work (World Bank, 1995). Moreover,
unpaid work, such as domestic work or work based in homes, entails
no protective legislation, no social security, and is assigned low social
status. This lack of income seriously affects women's ability to improve
their lives.
The gender division of labour is as evident within the household as it
is within paid employment. Women usually perform the daily tasks of
cooking, cleaning the house, doing the laundry and caring for children
and sick relatives, whereas men take care of car and household
maintenance. In the home, one important characteristic of women's