Gender violence keeps eight out of ten victims from employment

The results of the iGender violence and employment report, prepared by the Vulnerability Observatory of the Adecco Foundationwith the collaboration of 27 companies, show a shocking figure: Gender violence keeps almost eight out of every ten women in the Canary Islands from employment. Thus, and asked about their situation and job expectations at the time of suffering the violence, 78.9% responded that said violence reduced their job opportunities, either because they wanted to look for a job, but they did not feel safe and/or confident. sufficient (65% of cases) or because, having a job, they were forced to leave it due to the pressure exerted by their partner (35%), the foundation says in a press release. In the first case, it is significant how gender violence can erode a woman’s self-esteem, making her feel incapable or unqualified for the world of work. In the second case, the women surveyed affirm that their attacker exercised severe control over them, through threats, manipulations and even physical violence, forcing them to leave their job, with the result of greater social isolation of the victim and a reinforcement of the power position of the aggressor.

The women who participated in this survey in the Canary Islands are today overcoming a difficult process of gender violence and are looking for a job to get their lives back on track. However, it is not proving to be an easy task, since 68% have been unemployed for more than a year. Among the main obstacles or barriers that they encounter on this path, they include: insecurity and self-esteem (63%)the fear of being located by the aggressor in the workplace (45%), the incompatibility of schedules to face their family responsibilities (22%), the absence of digital means to look for work (12%) and the lack of knowledge when defining a job search strategy (8%).

In this process, “it is essential to design a personalized employment itinerary, focusing on training in emerging sectors and psychological support for their emotional recovery. Likewise, awareness and work flexibility are key so that female victims can develop a professional career with guarantees,” highlights Begoña Bravo, head of the Adecco Foundation’s inclusion plan.

Long-term unemployment

Long-term unemployment accompanies more than half of the female victims in active search for work. This situation exposes them more acutely to poverty and the risk of exclusion.as the figures of this analysis show.

Specifically, all women in the Canary Islands express some degree of difficulty in making ends meet and 57.1% consider working irregularlywithout being registered with Social Security, due to the urgency of income to cover essential expenses.

«Many women victims of gender violence face significant barriers to accessing formal employment. due to lack of contacts, experience or skills to connect with the current job market. Furthermore, in some cases, they may not be fully aware of their employment rights or the implications of working irregularly. For all this, it is a priority to accompany, advise and support female victims in their active search for employment so that they do not fall into precariousness and lack of protection, through decent, fair and appropriate employment to their needs,” declares Begoña. Bravo.

Despite the growing level of awareness and commitment regarding gender violence, stereotypes about victims and aggressors continue to persist that make it difficult to eradicate the problem and are transferred to the workplace, becoming barriers to access to employment.

Sometimes, The status of victim of gender violence is erroneously associated with certain personality traits, creating a bubble of misinformation that can slow down their hiring. The existence of these stereotypes is reflected in the survey data: 71.4% of women prefer not to reveal their situation in job interviews, out of fear of being discarded due to prejudices that associate female victims with “insecure” or “conflictive personalities.”