It takes more than hope to give women a better future

What concerns me is that 1 in 7 women in Luxembourg is at risk of « in-work » poverty. And this is currently the highest rate in the European Union. What's also concerning is that it may take another 300 years to achieve gender equality. And

You might be familiar, or not, with Claudia Goldin`s work - an expert on women at work. She gained most recent fame by winning the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics for her research on women in the labor market.

In a 2021 interview with NPR, Goldin points out that traditionally, women have been forced to choose between having a career and raising a family, and the pandemic has only added to that strain, with increasing caregiving responsibilities for women in 2020 due to the closure of schools and other childcare facilities during lockdown. 

Claudia Goldin’s research highlights that true equity for dual-career couples is still something frustratingly out of reach. Out of curiosity I wanted to take a look at what efforts are being made on a local scale, here in Luxembourg, where I live and what i found was concerning: 

• 1 in 7 women  in Luxembourg is at risk of « in-work » poverty
• this is currently the highest rate in the European Union
• it may take another 300 years to achieve gender equality
  

To quote the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Anne Hathaway: « I hope we all agree this is three centuries too long ». Luckily in Luxembourg, i also discovered that various organizations and non-profits, such as Dress for Success Luxembourg asbl are taking actions against "in-work" poverty, the gender pay gap and gender inequalities. They define themselves as an organization that believes that achieving gender equality is imperative for a sustainable world and for economic growth; striving for a community where women are financially independent. They are actively trying to break this cycle of poverty with various programs and help of various local actors and partners. I feel grateful to know that one of the actors is The Network. We support Dress for Success Luxembourg through raising funds.

Dress for Success Luxembourg relies not only on individual contributions of business attire and accessories to make their clients look and feel their best but also on monetary contributions. These financial donations allow the non-profit to organize educational workshops on labor rights in Luxembourg, training on how to improve your LinkedIn profile, preparation sessions on how to create your CV or practice on how to prepare for a job interview.

As they fairly say it: « We are about much more than simply a new outfit ». Besides not only physically supporting women with apparel and accessories, their programs are meant to provide confidence and knowledge while women search for a job. This type of work show that there are not only empowering speeches, but also real actions taken behind the speeches. I can say with total certainty that they are making the change happen, because, as The Devil Wears Prada actor said, it is going to take more than hope to get us to a better future.

written by Diana Trisca-Rusu