Less than half of women with newborns get a cash maternity benefit – ILO report
Μore than 4 billion people around the world lack any form of social protection, despite the worldwide expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, a new International Labour Organization – ILO – report found.
The “World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future” gives a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its report, the UN labour agency warns that most of the world’s population has no access to protections like health care or income security in case of unemployment, old age, illness or maternity. In 2020, just 47% of the world population had effective access to at least one social protection benefit. The remaining 53% – up to 4.1 billion people – had no protection at all, the study found.
Social protection includes access to health care and income security, for example in cases of unemployment, inability to work, old age and for families with children.
Further research indicated that only 45% of women with newborns worldwide receive a cash benefit, while only one in four children worldwide receive a social protection benefit. Also one in three people with severe disabilities receive a disability benefit.
Coverage of unemployment benefits is even lower, ILO said, with only 18.6% of jobless workers effectively covered globally.
“We are only as safe as the most vulnerable among us; our well-being and destinies are intimately entwined, regardless of our location, background or work,” wrote ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in the report’s introduction. “If some people cannot count on income security while sick or in quarantine, then public health will be undermined and our collective well-being jeopardized.”
Stark regional imbalances in ILO report
The ILO report underscores the significant regional inequalities in social protection.
Europe and Central Asia have the highest rates of coverage, with 84% of people having access to at least one benefit.
Countries in the Americas are also above the global average (64.3%), in stark contrast to welfare roll-out in Asia and the Pacific (44%), the Arab States (40%) and Africa (17.4%).
Highlighting the differences in government spending on social protection, ILO said that high-income countries spend 16.4% of national turnover (above the 13% global average, excluding health), while low-income countries budget just 1.1%.
Moonshot News is an independent European news website for all IT, Media and Advertising professionals, powered by women and with a focus on driving the narrative for diversity, inclusion and gender equality in the industry.
Our mission is to provide top and unbiased information for all professionals and to make sure that women get their fair share of voice in the news and in the spotlight!
We produce original content, news articles, a curated calendar of industry events and a database of women IT, Media and Advertising associations.
