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Facts
- International Women's Day, 8 March, highlights the access to equal
rights and participation in the political and economic process for women.
- International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25
November, draws attention to the extent of violence against women
- Despite many improvements in the status of women there are still many
inequalities:
- Two thirds of people in the world who cannot read are female.
- Nearly seventy percent of the world's poorest people are female.
- Women represent a growing proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS.
- In only 16 countries in the world is women's representation in
national parliaments above 25 percent.
- Women's contributions to the global economy are growing rapidly
but their labour remains undervalued and undercounted in national
accounts.
- An estimated one-quarter to one half of all women have suffered
physical abuse.
- Men, too, can suffer from gender inequalities. In some countries these
include increasing male mortality rates, suicide rates that far surpass
those of women, increasing social isolation, and problems related to
alcohol, drugs and other substance abuse.
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/docs/nhdr/thematic_reviews/Gender_Guidance_Note.pdf
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Background
Gender equality
Gender equality refers to the equal valuing of the roles of women and men.
It works to overcome the barriers of stereotypes and prejudices so that both
sexes are able to equally contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural
and political developments within society. When women and men have relative
equality, economies grow faster and there is less corruption. When women are
healthy and educated, their families, communities and nations benefit.
Gender inequality
Men and women are physically different but it is the social, economic, political and legal interpretation of these differences that lead to inequality between them.
Some examples are outlined below:
Social inequality
- Women and men usually have different roles and responsibilities in their
daily work. Men tend to do heavier, riskier work that is usually located outside
of the home. Men's work tends to have a higher status than the work done by
women, who have the main responsibility for caring for children and the elderly,
and providing food for the family.
- Women often have unequal access to education and health services.
- Social customs that encourage or force girls into teenage marriages and
early child bearing have direct and dangerous consequences for their health.
- There are high levels of violence against women in all countries around the world. This may be within families where it may be accepted as ‘normal'. During armed conflict violence is used to humiliate the enemy and to undermine morale and resistance).
Economic inequality
- Nearly 70% of the world's poor are female, and the number of women living
in poverty has increased disproportionately in recent years compared with
the number of men.
- Women have unequal access to economic resources, such as capital, credit,
labour and land, and limited opportunities for employment and career advancement
which restricts their ability to improve their economic situation.
- Females have unequal access to education and training opportunities, which
leads to low literacy levels and employment in unskilled, low status jobs.
Political and legal inequality
- Women are very poorly represented at all levels of formal decision making
in society, but particularly regional and national levels.
- The legal system in many countries discriminates against women in the areas
of family law, inheritance, property and land ownership, citizenship and criminal
law. The prosecution of cases involving violence against women is particularly difficult.
Addressing inequality
The equality of men and women has been accepted as a fundamental principle
of human rights since the adoption of the United Nations Charter in 1945. Many
international agreements, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women (1979), the World Conference on Human Rights
(1993) and the Millennium Development Goals (2000) have highlighted the need
for countries to take action against discriminatory practices.
The increased focus on women since the International Year for Women (1975)
has led to many improvements in the lives of women.
There are a number of approaches
to addressing inequity. The 'Women in Development' (WID) approach focuses on
women. This helps to raise the knowledge and skills of women to overcome social,
economic and political disadvantages but it may increase the workload of women
and fail to recognise the role of men as an essential element of change. The
'Gender and Development' (GAD) approach integrates gender planning in all aspects
of development programs. It works to understand of the impact of the proposed
changes on both men and women but it may not always address the specific needs
of women and men.
Achieving gender equality requires men and women to work together in search
of solutions, in ways that encourage mutual respect and trust.
Australia's response
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) recognises that
a strong emphasis on full and equitable partnerships between men and women is
required for the advancement of women, to reduce poverty, and to promote sustainable
development.
Australia's aid program works with partner countries to:
- address violence against women and children, including trafficking in women
and girls, and promote women's positive role in conflict situations and peace
building
- strengthen women's economic empowerment
- ensure that gender equity issues are effectively incorporated into governance
and infrastructure activities.
Current programs include:
- The Lao Basic Education for Ethnic Minorities and Girls Project which aims
to improve primary school enrolment and retention rates for ethnic minorities
and girls.
- The Basic Education Infrastructure and Curriculum Materials Project in PNG,
which focuses on community participation in education reform and improving
access to education. It also seeks to improve the equity and quality of the
PNG education system.
- The Indonesia Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Project recognises the different
roles that men and women play in supporting women during pregnancy and childbirth,
and has developed health communication materials and strategies that take
into account gender differences.
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/keyaid/gender.cfm
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pubout.cfm?Id=7576_9507_9097_9710_9822
The global agenda
The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995, produced an important human rights document concerning women and female children, the Beijing Platform for Action. The objective of the Platform for Action is the empowerment of all women. It seeks to achieve this by making recommendations and outlining actions in 12 critical areas of concern: poverty; education and training; health; violence; armed conflict; economy; power and decision-making; international mechanisms; human rights; media; environment; the girl child. The Platform was critically reviewed in 2000 ( Beijing +5), and again in 2005 to monitor progress towards achieving improvements in the 12 critical areas.
The main objective of the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) is to promote and strengthen the effective implementation of the various declarations and findings concerning women and gender equality that emanate from United Nations sessions and conferences. It provides advice on gender issues, is an advocate for gender issues and gender mainstreaming, and assists in designing policies and strategies aimed at improving the status of women.
The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) aim to eradicate poverty, improve health and education, ensure environmental sustainability and set up global development partnerships by 2015. The MDG specifically targeted the wellbeing of women and girls in Goal 2 (universal primary education), Goal 3 (promote gender equality and empower women) and Goal 5 (improve maternal health).
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