“Female waste pickers are most socially marginalized group in Tunisia” (FTDES)

Tunis: "Waste pickers seem to be the most socially marginalized group in the country. They are also the most vulnerable category to the negative impacts of Tunisia's current economic crisis. This social marginalization is strikingly remarkable among women, who often earn meager wages, generally lower than men's," reads a study on "Circular Economy: Recycling Plastic Waste in Sfax Metropolitan Area (Tunisia): Case study of the Municipality of Thyna," published by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). The study was carried out by Mehdia Soudeni, professor from the University of Sfax."These women, who come from poor family backgrounds, take on the bulk of the activities of collecting plastic waste and recycling it," the same source said.The study explains that these women are "the ones who carry those huge bags of waste on their backs. They weigh up to 10 kilograms, or a third and sometimes only a quarter of the quantities collected by men who often ride bikes and are well equipped."// Women doomed to earn less than men//These women have family commitments. That is why, they work fewer hours. As a result, they earn less than men. They make 10 to 25 dinars per day, while men make 40 to 70 dinars per day.Access to means of transport also reflects gender and economic inequalities since waste pickers who have the lowest incomes are generally women. Yet, the higher capital one has to purchase a means of transport, the greater the income."The professor at the University of Sfax points out that "women remain the most marginalized group in the recycling sector. They often work in recycling units or in waste collection. In terms of living standards, women seem to face difficult situations, such as the presence of at least one disabled person in the family, cases of divorce, or the obligation to carry, over several kilometers, the collected waste on their backs. Some are less disadvantaged, in particular those who have a kind of hand cart that they push for eight hours.""In addition, they hav e no social security coverage, and the waste recovery activity is their only means of subsistence, despite difficult working conditions.""According to testimonies, these women are subject to several kinds of discrimination. They work in tougher conditions than men. They are sometimes prevented from picking waste in places monopolized by men. They also suffer stigmatization in their neighborhoods and in society in general. As a result, they feel excluded and rejected from society as a whole.""I don't have any means of transport to collect plastic waste. I am forced to carry bags on my back for hours. I collect between 14 to 20 kilos of plastic waste per day to sell it for 8 to 10 dinars. I have 4 children, my partner is retired and sick, he cannot leave the house. I am in charge of the family expenses. Yet the locals help us because they are aware of our dreadful situation […]. I am grateful to the people who are always showing compassion. Yet, I still feel excluded from my own society. I am being treated differently because of my current situation," said one waste picker.//Discrimination against female workers in processing units//"Female workers working in plastic waste processing units should also be taken into consideration," the study highlights, adding that "they often face serious gender discrimination. They fully depend on other players in the sector who impose strict conditions on them and use their position of hierarchical superiority to abuse them. These are wholesalers (of plastic waste collection) or business leaders who hire them. These women have no other options but to comply with the rules dictated to them if they want to earn a living and survive."In factories, "women are often subjected to verbal abuse (insults) and mistreatment by their employers. However, most of informal plastic recycling factories in the municipality of Thyna hire women only. Therefore, they find themselves in totally vulnerable situation during the various stages of the collection and recycling of plastic waste. W omen's over-representation in this sector is mainly motivated by the low salary they receive, which represents only 336 dinars per month compared to 500 dinars for men."According to the same study, "most employers take advantage of the availability of this cheap female workforce. In informal waste treatment factories, women are often assigned the most tedious tasks such as collecting, sorting, crushing and cleaning waste. Conversely, men, especially those working in the formal sector, are mainly involved in the purchase and sale of recyclable materials, for a higher salary than women.»Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse