Women in the Informal Sector: A Global Picture, the Global Movement

Abstract:
This article examines the linkages between gender, informality, poverty and growth. Moreover, it argues that women who work in the informal economy are often the most vulnerable workers, who paradoxically are also making a significant contribution to economic growth. The article then moves on to introduce global movements of informal workers. Since the 1980s international networks of trade unions, grassroots organizations, and non-governmental organizations have emerged through the shared goal of organizing people working within the informal economy. The focus is on HomeNet, an organisation of home-based workers; StreetNet, a street vendors‟ organisation; and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO). These organizations share the goal of influencing more sustainable policy making in the local, national, and global levels in regards to informal workers. They have developed links with UN organizations and other civil society actors, and are working with research institutions. Furthermore, they aim to strengthen political organizing of people in the informal economy on a grassroots level.