🌱 How are women represented in the sector?
In total, it is estimated that around 12.9 million women work in the informal waste sector globally. Yet, according to a report from the International Environmental Technology Center (IETC), “the perceived lack of technical skills among women” often limits their participation in the e-waste sector. The report highlights that women typically “participate in the informal sector, often at the lowest tiers of the hierarchy” in “non-specialized and low paying” roles. According to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, “[t]here are hardly any women working in refurbishing and repair operations”. Women however “make up a significant share of the workforce among the waste picker communities on dumpsites, where women and girls are estimated to make up around 30% of the workforce”.
🌱 What risks do women face?
The IETC report highlights that “chronic exposure to [improper practices, toxic fumes, and other harmful substances from] e-waste is especially dangerous for women”. Women are assumed to be impacted disproportionately because of the effects that the fumes and substances have on their hormonal levels, neonatal development, and immune function. Despite the risks, “[t]he most vulnerable groups, [including] old women, are [currently] actively involved in e-waste scavenging and crude recycling activities especially in African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria”, according to the Basel Convention’s Secretariat.
🌱 Why are women impacted disproportionately?
“As the lowest of the low, women waste workers operate […] under the radar of many policy makers and politicians”. “Without institutional support and representation, women […] are deprived of adequate safety equipment, health precautions, and health insurance”. Women working in the informal sector are frequently “poorly outfitted to do their jobs, forced to use low-tech tools to extract the precious metals and reusable components of e-waste, [and left to do] the most undesirable and dangerous tasks, including using acid baths to reclaim precious metals”.
🌱 What opportunities are there for women?
The IETC report highlights that the “e-waste management sector presents an untapped opportunity for women to excel”. According to the report, the “push to regulate and formalize the e-waste value chain […] can potentially provide […] job opportunities for women”. The report argues that a “focus on upskilling women by providing dedicated vocational training programs, access to financial incentives and support in the form of resources and mentorship” would prove valuable. Furthermore, “increasing the visibility of women (especially successful entrepreneurs) in the sector [would] help counter societal prejudices that discourage women”.
🌱 What about women in the formal e-waste sector?
There is visible participation of women in the formal e-waste sector. Yet, “[a]necdotal information indicates that there might be some skill-related bias” here, just as in the informal sector. While women hold management positions in producer responsibility organizations and at recycling companies – amongst others, there is currently too little data on this to derive patterns or draw meaningful comparisons.
Read more about women in the informal e-waste sector here:
- https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/41533
- https://www.hhrjournal.org/2014/07/women-e-waste-and-technological-solutions-to-climate-change/
- https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/mission-life-and-womens-e-waste-side-story/
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00263-1/fulltext