The financial crisis raised the gender gap in unemployment to 0.7 percentage points for 2012, with projections showing no significant reduction in unemployment expected by 2017, said a report released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Tuesday.

From 2002 to 2007, the gender gap in unemployment was constant at around 0.5 percentage points, with the female unemployment rate at 5.8 percent, compared to male unemployment at 5.3 percent, according to the Global Employment Trends for Women 2012.

In 2012, the women's unemployment rate rose to 6.4 percent, while men's unemployment rate stood at 5.7 percent, said the report.

The report, which looked at gender gaps in unemployment, employment, labor force participation, vulnerability, and segregation in jobs and economic sectors, said that the crisis destroyed 13 million jobs for women.

The gender gap in employment-to-population ratios remained high at 24.5 points between 2002 and 2007, but it has been widened to 24.8 points in 2012, said the report.

The report found that the gaps in unemployment and employment-to-population ratios were moving towards convergence before the crisis, however, the crisis reversed this trend in the hardest-hit regions.

The report called for the expansion of social protection measures to reduce women's vulnerabilities, investments in skills and education, and policies to promote access to employment.

Polices recommended by the report included improving infrastructure to reduce the burden of housework; providing care services, particularly child care; and balancing the gender division of paid and unpaid work, mainly programs to increase fathers' parenting shares, etc. Endi

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