Inequality of opportunity, treatment and outcomes between women and men still persists in global labour markets. Achieving gender equality in the workplace remains one of the biggest challenges for governments, social partners and management at enterprise level. Gender-based discrimination often occurs at the recruitment stage on grounds of pregnancy, or potential child bearing and rearing and the gender pay gap remains high across the world. In addition, women are more likely to be affected by violence at work, whether physical, psychological or sexual. This Issue Brief focuses on the obstacles to gender equality at work and how collective bargaining can be used as an effective tool to overcome these challenges.