Updated November 15, 2008
Women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, though their access to education and health care is nearly equal, the World Economic Forum said Wednesday. In its 2008 Global Gender Gap report, the forum, a Swiss research organization, ranked Norway, Finland and Sweden as the countries that have the most equality of the sexes, and Saudi Arabia, Chad and Yemen as having the least.
Using United Nations data, the report found that girls and women around the world had generally reached near-parity with their male peers in literacy, access to education and health and survival. But in terms of economics and politics, including relative access to executive government and corporate posts, the gap between the sexes remains large.
The United States ranked 27th, above Russia (42nd), China (57th), Brazil (73rd) and India (113th). But the United States was ranked below Germany (11th), Britain (13th), France (15th), Lesotho (16th), Trinidad and Tobago (19th), South Africa (22nd), Argentina (24th) and Cuba (25th).
"The world's women are nearly as educated and as healthy as men, but are nowhere to be found in terms of decision-making," said Saadia Zahidi of the World Economic Forum Middle Eastern and North African countries received the lowest ratings over all. The rankings of Syria, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia declined in 2008.
The report said the inequalities in those countries were so large as to put them at an economic disadvantage. "A nation's competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its female talent. To maximize its competitiveness and development potential, each country should strive for gender equality."
A report released Thursday by the U.N. Development Fund for Women said that increased measures to ensure government accountability are necessary in order to meet the existing commitments to end widespread discrimination against women, the AP reports. The biennial report, titled "Progress of the World's Women 2008/2009," points to five areas that need "strengthened accountability to women," including access to public services such as health care.
According to the report summary, pregnancy-related deaths in some parts of the world continue to be high even with the availability of well-known, low-cost care to prevent maternal mortality. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the state of maternal health care worldwide "dismal," adding, "To fix the problem ... all we need is to ensure that developing countries have what developed states provide as a minimum: prenatal health care and skilled attendants to help mothers survive the ordeal of labor."
The other four areas of focus in the report are politics and governance, economic opportunities, justice and the distribution of international assistance for development and security. It also aims to provide a "framework understanding accountability from a gender perspective." Ines Alberdi, executive director of UNIFEM, said that women "must be represented in much larger numbers in the decision making process" in order to "overcome the accountability crisis." The global average of women in parliamentary positions has risen 18.4% since 1998, but at that rate, the 40% to 60% "parity zone" goal will not be reached until 2045, the AP/Globe reports.
The report's release comes a week before the ministerial meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that will include a special meeting about the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, which include improving maternal health, eradicating extreme poverty, achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality by 2015.
WASHINGTON - AAUW has gained special consultative status at the United Nations with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which initiates reports, makes recommendations, and promotes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
For many years, AAUW has had a U.N. representative attending select meetings and monitoring issues affecting women and girls. The new designation allows AAUW to participate in international conferences, sign on to NGO statements, and share AAUW's expertise.
"We closely follow a variety of international issues ranging from girls' education to women's economic security to human rights to women in peacekeeping," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. "This new status will strengthen AAUW's presence globally and provide us with greater opportunities to engage in U.N.-related activities and initiatives that break through barriers for women and girls."
AAUW has a proud history in global affairs that includes awarding more than 2,200 international fellowships to women from more than 130 countries and partnering with leading international humanitarian organizations on initiatives to empower women.
Next year, AAUW will actively advocate for women at the 53rd session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, which will focus on the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
"AAUW can now advocate more effectively and support policies aimed at strengthening gender equality, especially in the areas of the economic, social, political, and reproductive health rights of women and girls," said Carolyn Donovan, AAUW's U.N. representative.
Currently, AAUW is encouraging its branches to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 and to continue supporting ratification of the women's rights treaty-the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
"AAUW members have long supported our efforts, from hosting international visitors to initiating forums and symposia on global issues pertinent to women and girls," said Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW's director of fellowships, grants, and international programs. "We are thrilled that our role is expanding."
- from AAUW's Washington Update for Sept. 11, 2008.
Friday, July 11 is World Population Day. A program of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), this day highlights the importance of available family planning to a wide range of development issues, including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights. As women have greater access to planning the number and timing of their children, they gain the ability to make other choices about their education, their participation in the job market, and their economic security.
In honor of the goals of this day, AAUW asks you to urge your representative to support the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (H.R. 2965/S. 2069). This legislation would help shape U.S. international assistance and trade policy to give women in developing countries the tools and resources they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. By helping impoverished women start and grow businesses, promoting women's land and property rights, increasing women's access to employment, and improving the quality and working conditions of jobs dominated by women, the GROWTH Act seeks to enhance women's economic security.
Women's share of the labor force is increasing in almost all regions of the world, and women produce the majority of the food supply in most developing countries. Yet these women work in the lowest paying jobs, have less stable incomes, have less access to training and education, work longer hours, and have fewer economic opportunities than men. The GROWTH Act removes a number of barriers that prevent women from actively participating in their countries' economies.
AAUW's member-adopted 2007-2009 Public Policy Program states, "AAUW believes that global interdependence requires national and international policies that promote peace, justice, human rights, sustainable development, and mutual security for all people."
Urge your representative to cosponsor the GROWTH Act and help millions of mothers, daughters, and sisters around the world escape poverty and enjoy the promise of greater economic opportunities.
- from AAUW's Action Newtork for July 9, 2008.
The Working Group on Girls (WGG) and its International Network for Girls (INfG) are dedicated to promoting the rights of girls in all areas and stages of their lives, advancing the rights and status of girls and assisting them to develop their full potential as women.
The Child Marriage Bills (H.R. 3175 and S. 1998) in order to help reduce child marriages around the globe. Child marriage is a harmful traditional practice that involves the wedding of children, almost exclusively girls, to usually significantly older men.
This practice affect girls as young as 7 years old and puts them at risk for damaging health, economic, and educational consequences. The proposed legislation would help alleviate these injustices by providing funds to relief programs that work to reduce child marriages. If you share our concern about the health and well-being of girls and young women globally, help us give a voice to those who cannot speak out for themselves.
Action Needed: Please write to your senators and representatives today and ask them to sponsor the Child Marriage Bills!
According to the Population Council, about one in seven girls in the developing world (excluding China) marries before her 15th birthday. This practice, affecting girls as young as 7, puts them at risk to suffer damaging health, economic, and educational consequences.
The proportion of females wedded before the age of 15 in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh is 36 percent, in Bangladesh 37 percent, in Northwest Nigeria 48 percent, and in the Amhara region of Ethiopia 50 percent. Child marriage is also a serious problem in Uganda and Afghanistan, where often girls are forced to marry older men in order to cover their fathers' debts.
Child marriage can have many detrimental affects on a young girl's life. Once wed, these girls are pressured to have children rapidly, often before their bodies are prepared to handle childbirth. Girls younger than 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. Child brides also face a higher risk of contracting HIV, dropping out of school, and living the remainder of their lives in poverty.
The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act was introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and 41 co-sponsors in July 2007. Despite its referral to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the legislation has received little attention from committee members.
H.R. 3175 would provide the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with $100 million for the next four years so that child marriage reduction can be integrated into preexisting development programs and annual Department of State country reports on human rights practices. On the senate side, the International Child Marriage Prevention and Protection Act of 2007, introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and 12 co-sponsors, has similar provisions and a $60 million set aside for needed USAID activities.
In order to alleviate the injustices faced by young victims of child marriage around the world, please use our automated system to contact the members of your Congressional delegation and urge them to take leadership on this important issue. Putting the spotlight on child marriages will help to motivate committee members to take up these bills. Please use our formatted message or write your own. Make child marriage a thing of the past today.
- from a NOW e-Alert on June 12, 2008
A United Nations panel's recommendation to bolster the worldwide promotion of women's rights is getting a renewed push by advocates gathered in New York for the U.N.'s annual Commission on the Status of Women meeting, which ends March 7, the eve of International Women's Day.
Through what they call the "gender equality architecture reform" campaign--unveiled on Feb. 26 and supported by over 180 organizations in around 75 countries--the advocates are demanding a strong, centralized U.N. women's agency to provide an international beacon of leadership on women's human rights.
Among other benefits, they say an expanded and centralized agency will help cut lag time in U.N. efforts on behalf of women. In its 2006 recommendations, a U.N. panel on system-wide coherence said a consolidated agency would improve efforts on behalf of women across the organization and be more able to provide technical assistance to member states.
Campaigners are calling for existing groups with different functions--the U.N. Development Fund for Women, the Division for the Advancement for Women and the Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues--to be merged, expanded and put under the leadership of an undersecretary-general who can give voice and visibility to women's issues.
Agencies such as the U.N. Population Fund, the World Food Program and the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS are all headed by undersecretary-generals, who report directly to the secretary-general. The secretary-general, in turn, is appointed by and reports to the General Assembly.
For more information:
This Saturday, March 8, is International Women's Day. Hundreds of events are held in countries around the world on this day to inspire women, celebrate their achievements, and highlight the need for continued action to ensure women's rights. The theme of this year's International Women's Day is "Investing in Women and Girls."
In honor of this day, AAUW is joining with coalition partners in supporting the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (H.R. 2965/S. 2069). This critical piece of legislation would help shape U.S. international assistance and trade policy to give women in developing countries the tools and resources they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. By helping impoverished women start and grow businesses, promoting women's land and property rights, increasing women's access to employment, and improving the quality and working conditions of jobs dominated by women, the GROWTH Act seeks to enhance women's economic security.
Women's share of the labor force is increasing in almost all regions of the world, and women produce the majority of the food supply in most developing countries. Yet these women work in the lowest paying jobs, have less stable incomes, have less access to training and education, work longer hours, and have fewer economic opportunities than men. The GROWTH Act removes a number of barriers that prevent women from actively participating in their countries' economies.
AAUW's member-adopted 2007-2009 Public Policy Program states, "AAUW believes that global interdependence requires national and international policies that promote peace, justice, human rights, sustainable development, and mutual security for all people." As we join in celebrating International Women's Day, we ask you to help millions of mothers, daughters, and sisters around the world escape poverty and enjoy the promise of greater economic opportunities.
Take Action! Urge your U.S. senators to cosponsor the GROWTH Act; if your senators have already signed on as cosponsors, you will be able to send them a message of thanks.
- from AAUW's Action Newtork for March 5, 2008.
"Women's" issues such as health and education, overpopulation, the bolstering of human rights, and combating HIV/AIDS have long been segregated as "soft" issues and excluded from high-level security debates. As these issues become the overriding security concerns around the globe, women are uniquely positioned to address them.
- Read more at the Huffington Post (Thursday, Nov.15)
- from AAUW's Equity Issues in the News for Nov. 10 - 16, 2007
The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund is a charitable and educational fund which supports projects worldwide focusing on women's educational activities, leadership training, community development, and the advancement of understanding and cooperation among women.
VGIF is named in honor of Virginia Gildersleeve, a noted leader in women's education and Dean of Barnard College. Gildersleeve was a co-founder and twice president of the International Federation of University Women. She was the only woman appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to the US Delegation which established the united Nations, and was the first woman in the United States to sign a United States treaty.
The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund was founded in 1969 by eleven members of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW). Today most of the projects funded are to women in low per capita income countries. Almost 200 grants have been made.
The Bina Roy Partners in Development Program fosters international solidarity and partnerships between International Federation of University Women federations and associations. It encourages projects to empower women and girls through education and development for leadership.
Dr. Bina Roy, teacher and educational advisor from India, was the first Asian President of the International Federatiojn (IFUW). She believed that friendly and supportive links should be forged among IFUW affiliates to provide strong international solidarity, while encouraging and aiding the implementation of projects. Her dream was realized in 1978 with the establishment of the Counterpart Aid Program, since renamed in her honor.
Nearly 60% of IFUW's national federations and associations have participated in the program, either as project sponsors or donor partners. Proposed projects are evaluated by the IFUW Projects Committee to ensure viability, cost effectiveness, suitability, and development potential.