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The UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 includes "decent work for all" as a sustainable, inclusive economic growth component. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines decent work as productive in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Yet, almost no research or development initiatives have considered how decent work applies to pastoral systems. Therefore, we explore the meanings of "decent work" for women herders in Mongolia and compare these meanings with the ILO's criteria. We facilitated two workshops with women specifically focused on decent work (n=34) in 2023. For Mongolian herder women, "decent work" means "meaningful work" related to their cultural heritage, pastoralist identity, personal satisfaction, and the interdependent health of land, livestock, and people. "Opportunities for learning and professional development" also emerged as a key meaning not captured in existing ILO standards. Herder women face numerous barriers to decent work conditions, including long working hours, caregiving responsibilities, social isolation, domestic violence, lack of social and health services support, and limited alternative employment opportunities. Yet, ILO's decent work indicators and Mongolia's legal frameworks fail to address these issues adequately. This exploratory research highlights the mismatch between ILO's generic decent work criteria and indicators and the lived reality of pastoralism. Given the paucity of decent work research in pastoral systems, this study has broad relevance to pastoral systems globally as governments, donors and NGOs consider how to support socially just and sustainable pastoralism.