Economic transition has caused a deterioration of the economic status of women. Governments failed to promote new economic roles and opportunities for women. These have lead to increased poverty, unemployment and jobs with lower payment also among skilled, highly educated and experienced women. Training, retraining and new vocational skills often do not reach women with obsolete skills. In most countries, rural women do not benefit from social security system.

Neither employers nor employees are aware of laws against gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment, if they exist. More and more women are starting their own businesses from high technology to petty trade and other activities in the informal economy. These women lack capital and training to start and expand their businesses, and in numerous countries they are threatened by organized crime.

Current challenges and trends:

[Russian Federation] new 30 bis: In countries with economies in transition women are bearing most of the hardships induced by the economic restructuring and being the first to lose jobs in times of recession. Economic restructuring has lead to marginalization of women’s labour. (...)

Actions to be taken at the national level:

56. (t) Establish specific allocations in national budgets for supporting development programmes for women, including professional retraining, re-qualification and vocational training for women;

56. (u) Create social security system for [delete "poor"] women in view of the uncertainties and conditions of work associated with globalization and privatization, including women who are in the informal sector, under-employed, unemployed or self-employed;

58. (i): bis: Establish by the year 2005 a department, commission or other governmental body to implement and enforce laws against gender discrimination in the workplace;

58. (a) bis: Form partnerships to educate employers and employees about gender-based employment discrimination;

58. (c) bis: Establish specialized complaint procedures for victims of sexual harassment.

Actions to be taken at the national and international level:

60. (x) bis: Assist Governments in developing policies for transparency and accountability relating to privatization processes; work with governments to evaluate the gender impacts of reform, restructuring and privatization; assist governments in developing credit facilities for women’s entrepreneurship.