Almost 78% of women in Peru work in informality

In Peru, informality continues to affect women. According to the statistical yearbook of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024, prepared by the ECLAC77.5% of Peruvian workers are in informality, a figure higher than that of men, which reaches 71.8%.

This places the country among the five with the greatest female informality in the region, only behind Bolivia (86.4%), Guatemala (82.7%) and Honduras (81%), and slightly above Ecuador (71.1%). Also, among the 32 countries evaluated, which present the lower levels of informality among women are Uruguay, Santa Lucía and Chile.

“Women choose careers that allow them labor flexibility, due to their connection with the house,” said Leda Pérez, associate professor of the Academic Department of Social and Political Sciences and researcher at the Research Center of the University of the Pacific (CIUP), to the Republic.

Double work, lower income

The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI), in its technical report of the labor market in Metropolitan Lima, based on the results of the Permanent National Employment Survey (Epen), revealed that in the mobile quarter November 2024 – January 2025, the monthly average income in Metropolitan Lima was S/2,126.2, which represents an increase of 10.4% (S/200,1) compared to the same period of the previous year (s/1.926.1).

Despite this growth, the gender gap It is still significant. While the average income of men reached S/2,419.5, that of women was S/1,773.2, equivalent to 73.3% of the male salary.

“They are paid less for the flexibility they may require around their maternities and because, in addition to paid employment, they usually take care of the home,” Pérez explained. “Therefore, in many heterosexual couples, it is decided that it is better for man to work outside the home because he will be the one who receives a greater salary for the types of work that makes them pay more and/or because he can dedicate more time to work.”

Under this logic, many opt for informality to make their FAMILY AND LABORALE RESPONSIBILITIESS, said Alejandra Dinegro, labor specialist at the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM). Much is dedicated to outpatient trade, artisanal production and services such as sewing or hairdressing. Others work in subsistence and microenterprise agriculture without contract or benefits. In addition, a considerable number provides third parties without regulation, under precarious conditions.

“The lack of state regulation and support aggravates its economic vulnerability, restricting its access to growth rights and opportunities,” said Dinegro.

The predominance of self -employment and microenterprises reflects an economic model where informality is not a choice, but a necessity, especially for women. The low offer of formal employment and the weak labor control perpetuate this reality. It’s not just one “Informality culture”but the absence of effective policies to formalize feminized sectors.

However, the experts agreed that the solution is not to reduce these rights, but to promote co -responsibility with equitable paternity licenses and accessible care systems not overload women.

“We currently have Law 30709 and its Regulations, which prohibit remunerative discrimination between men and women and, in fact, establish the need to set salaries according to objective rules and through the evaluation of positions.” Said Karen Rodríguez, labor lawyer, to this newspaper.

If the break affects men and women equally, companies would assume it without questions, which shows that the problem is not the license itself, but the Gender bias in the labor market. Guarantee equitable permits for both genres would contribute to a fairer distribution of responsibilities.

March 8

International Women’s Day is not only a commemoration, but a reminder of inequalities that still persist in the labor market. The female informality and the salary gap They are not isolated facts, but symptoms of discriminatory structures that limit women’s development opportunities.

Demand public policies that encourage formalization and equity in employment is an urgent need, but it is also to transform business education and culture to eradicate Gender prejudices.

“The fight is not a whim, it is a matter of rights,” said Dinegro, who from his profession claims to have faced various inequalities throughout his work career for having to pay floor rights.

For Karen Rodríguez, a specialized lawyer in Labor Lawthe commitment of companies is key in the construction of equitable work spaces.

“It is essential that employers not only comply with the norms, but also promote organizational cultures that reduce gender inequality,” Rodríguez explains.

Beyond the legal field, he stressed that the change must be collective. “Each action adds. As women, we must contribute to this struggle for future generations to find a more equitable and free work environment, ”he concluded.