Uber and UN teams up to create jobs for women

CONTROVERSIAL tech company Uber has just found a powerful, new ally — the United Nations. The two have just teamed up on a new project.

FILE - MARCH 10, 2015: Taxi app Uber announces partnership with UN Women; promises 1 million jobs for female drivers by 2020. BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 01: In this photo illustration, the app 'Uber' is launched in a smart phone on July 1, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. Taxi drivers in main cities strike over unlicensed car-halling services. Drivers say that is a lack of regulation behind the new app. (Photo Illustration by David Ramos/Getty Images)

TECHNOLOGY company Uber has teamed up with the United Nations in an initiative that is designed to create one million jobs for women around the world.

The controversial ride-sharing service and UN Women made the announcement overnight on the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration made at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. Uber has pledged to create one million jobs for women by 2020 in an effort to accelerate economic opportunity and participation for women.

In Australia, Uber, which has been battling the taxi industry in most states, claims to already have hundreds of female drivers on its platform. Uber’s general manager in Australia, David Rohrsheim, said: “Creating greater economic opportunity for women is not only good for gender equality, but is also important for the economy.

“The recent Intergenerational Report found that if Australia is able to increase its female workforce participation rates, our economy and GDP will also significantly improve.”

Lee-Anne, an Uber driver from Queensland, said she started driving Uber on a casual basis to supplement her truck driver husband’s wages, which fluctuate with the weather.

Uber argues that its platform is women-friendly because it affords a low-cost entry point and the flexibility to work when they want.

However, it’s not yet clear what extra initiatives, if any, Uber will implement to encourage more female drivers onto the platform.

Originally published as Uber and UN teams up to create jobs for women