A/HRC/44/51 and equal access to credit and agricultural technologies, is critical as the sector changes and grows in the context of environmental change. Box 5 Promising practices Extending social protection to women workers in the gig or platform economy In a country in Europe artists and writers can join an insurance scheme that is funded by employee social security contributions, a public subsidy and a levy upon customers of artistic services (such as publishers, theatres, libraries or private companies) proportional to their use of artists’ and writers’ services. In some Nordic countries, the unemployment system gives unemployed workers approximately 80 per cent wage replacement coupled with extensive labour market stimulation measures that require unemployed workers to undergo training to upgrade their skills. The system also provides workers with job opportunities and pays for education, training, relocation and other job-related expenses. As a result, workers change jobs more frequently than elsewhere in Europe, and companies are able to automate and change workplace practices without engendering opposition from workers. In a country in Europe, independent contractors are required to pay social security contributions, in the same way as standard employees, guaranteeing them unemployment insurance. Ensuring the rights of domestic workers A country in Central America passed legislation in 2019 recognizing domestic workers as formal employees with benefits and protections. Under the new law, children under 15 are prohibited from working, and teenagers over the age of 15 cannot work for more than six hours a day. The employer of a domestic worker is now required to formalize the employment with a contract and to offer the same rights as other employers, including a salary based on at least minimum wage, registration for social security and health care, holiday bonuses, days off, maternity leave and guaranteed rest periods. Improving access to technology and resources for women in agriculture In some countries in Africa, access by women working in agriculture to ICT has been increased to enhance productivity. For example, in one country in Africa, a nongovernmental organization initiated a project to improve access to information through the use of ICTs by rural women in one part of the country. Women accessed required information on markets and improved farming methods through the use of smartphones, the Internet and radios. In another country in Africa, women have been provided with smartphones to access weather-related information. This information allows them to know when to sow their seeds and when to harvest – especially with a yield that needs to be dried. Supporting women’s collective action and organizing 53. Strong union coverage and collective bargaining is linked with lower gender pay gaps, increased access to maternity leave and the promotion of family-friendly working arrangements. However, historically, trade unions have had strong masculinist cultures, have often excluded women’s voices and have not always prioritized women’s rights issues. Collective bargaining agreements often do not adequately reflect women’s concerns. Furthermore, where there’s a gendered power imbalance within a union, women workers face discrimination and violence. In addition, recent decades have seen growing challenges for collective organizing, particularly in the context of globalization and economic liberalization. The expected growth of non-standard forms of employment and increasing fissuring of the workplace in the context of continued globalization, along with the rise of work associated with digital platforms, exacerbates these challenges. As part of the broader trends of shrinking civil society space, there are also increasing government restrictions on 15