E/C.12/ARM/CO/2-3 the Committee reiterates its concern about the underrepresentation of women in national and local government bodies, and decision-making positions, in spite of the gendersensitive quotas provided for in the Electoral Code and other measures taken (art. 3). The Committee draws the attention of the State party to its general comment No. 16 (2005) on the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights and recommends that the State party: (a) Take effective measures to address stereotypes arising from deeply rooted patriarchal attitudes and gender roles and actively combat all forms of discrimination against women; (b) Adopt additional temporary special measures to increase the representation of women in senior-level positions in public administration, academia and research institutions. 14. The Committee is concerned about the high level of unemployment in the State party, particularly in rural areas, and the insufficient public expenditure to activate vocational training and employment policies. The Committee further regrets that numerous unemployed persons do not register as such and therefore are not reflected in the official unemployment statistics. The Committee is also concerned about the presence of a large informal employment sector, as it is estimated that 40 per cent of workers are engaged in informal economic activities, which de facto prevents their enjoyment of economic and social rights (art. 6). The Committee requests that the State party: (a) Collect and compile updated data on unemployment, broken down by sex, age, urban and rural area and ethnic group, with a view to adopting effective targeted measures to reduce unemployment; (b) Take effective measures to regularize the informal sector of the economy, provide information on the results of measures taken to reduce the extent of the informal sector, while ensuring that workers in the informal sector have access to basic services and social protection; (c) Report on the impact of measures taken in the next periodic report. 15. The Committee reiterates its concern over the disproportionately high level of unemployment among women. The Committee is equally concerned about the prevalence of vertical and horizontal gender segregation in the economy and the concentration of women in low-paid sectors of the economy, despite equality between women and men before the law. In addition, the Committee is concerned about the significant gender pay gap, with women earning approximately only 60 per cent of the value of men’s wages in 2012 (arts. 6 and 7). The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Empower women, through gender-sensitive labour policies, to enhance their access to employment in all sectors of the economy and ensure equal treatment for women and men in the labour market, including equal pay for work of equal value in all sectors; (b) Address effectively, through awareness-raising and other measures, sociocultural barriers that negatively impact women’s opportunities for advancement in the workplace in all sectors of the economy, in particular in those sectors with high wage levels. 16. The Committee is concerned about the discontinuation of unemployment benefits as of 1 January 2015, following the adoption by the National Assembly of amendments to the 4