ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN RELATION TO LBQ WOMXN BODILY AUTONOMY.
On top of the many work-life challenges women face in the Ugandan labor market, there is one that is uniquely female. There’s a need to be able to count on womxn’s ability to control their own decisions about if, when, and how to have a child in order to invest in their careers and take risks in the labor market. Economic, political, and social structures influence control over a womxn’s personal life such as family planning decisions, Abortion are key determinants of how they engage in the economy via the Ugandan labor market. LBQ womxn encounter wage discrimination, Labor market segregation, sexual harassment, unpaid leave, lack of access to policies that offer social protection, Mend Initiative conducted a one-day conversation on 26th /8/2022 to discuss the intersectionality between Bodily Autonomy and Economic Justice to create awareness of the implication Economic justice and bodily autonomy for LBQ womxn.
“How does economic justice implicate bodily autonomy for LBQ womxn in the work place?”
Work places don’t offer protection to LBQ Womxn which comes in different forms like homophobia, verbal abuse, unequal pay sometimes even no pay at all for the work done because you can’t hold any one accountable. There’s no job security for LBQ womxn in the labor market because of the dress code and self-expression in behavior.
In the labor sector, policies and laws don’t favor LBQ womxn. Mostly LBQ womxn work in cruel and unfavorable environments in fear of being outed because of your sexual orientation and Gender Identity. Some of the policies and laws contain clauses openly discriminate and don’t protect LBQ womxn.
Most work place are hostile because of protocol on how a person should dress and express themselves. Most LBQ womxn find difficulty in expressing themselves in fear of being dismissed from work,
Uganda being a hyper religious country, there has been religious extremism within society which limits the level of participation in Economic justice for LBQ womxn
How do we handle economic injustices and bodily autonomy in work spaces?
In case of illegal dismissal, it is always key to read the management policies such as the Human Resource manual before signing the work contact in that way if things go wrong you know how to protect yourself. In most cases we take the documents offered to us for granted and we don’t bother reading them before signing, that’s why its key to read before you sign.
We should always find the courage to make our voices heard to the oppressors, be it our supervisors or our bosses, make your point and take up your spaces.
In times if a person is talking out of ignorance, its best to sit them down and educate or sensitize them about one’s self creating allies.
However, the reality is that many formal sector are increasingly precarious and do not provide any of these benefits, meaning that informal work is not a grantee to greater economic equality.
We urge LBQ organization to be complaint and have policies to guide the day to day operation of the organization and their employees and uphold labor with respect and dignity.
#LBQwomxneconomicjustices.
#MybodyNotourbody.
