Empowering Women (ref UNFPA)
Despite many international agreements affirming their human
rights, women are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate.
They usually have less access than men to medical care, property ownership,
credit, training and employment. They are far less likely than men to be
politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic violence.
The ability of women to control their own fertility is absolutely
fundamental to women’s empowerment and equality. When a woman can plan
her family, she can plan the rest of her life. When she is healthy,
she can be more productive. And when her reproductive rights—including the
right to decide the number, timing and spacing of her children, and to make
decisions regarding reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and
violence—are promoted and protected, she has freedom to participate more fully
and equally in society.
Understanding
gender equality and women's empowerment:
Gender
equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities,
outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men
and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution
of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence
through work or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access to education
and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions. A critical aspect of
promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on
identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to
manage their own lives. Women's empowerment is vital to sustainable development
and the realization of human rights for all.
Where
women’s status is low, family size tends to be large, which makes it more
difficult for families to thrive. Population and development and
reproductive health programmes are more effective when they address the
educational opportunities, status and empowerment of women. When women are
empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often have ripple effects
to future generations.
The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically
determined -- they are socially determined, changing and changeable. Although
they may be justified as being required by culture or religion, these roles
vary widely by locality and change over time. UNFPA has found that applying culturally
sensitive approaches can be key to advancing women’s rights while
respecting different forms of social organization.
Addressing women’s issues also requires recognizing that women are a
diverse group, in the roles they play as well as in characteristics such as
age, social status, urban or rural orientation and educational attainment.
Although women may have many interests in common, the fabric of their lives and
the choices available to them may vary widely. UNFPA seeks to identify groups
of women who are most marginalized and vulnerable (women refugees, for example,
or those who are heads of households or living in extreme poverty), so that
interventions address their specific needs and concerns. This task is related
to the critical need for sex-disaggregated data, and UNFPA helps countries
build capacity in this area.
Key issues and linkages
- Reproductive health: Women, for both
physiological and social reasons, are more vulnerable than men to
reproductive health problems. Reproductive health problems, including maternal
mortality and morbidity, represent a major – but preventable --
cause of death and disability for women in developing countries. Failure
to provide information, services and conditions to help women protect
their reproduction health therefore constitutes gender-based
discrimination and a violation of women’s rights to health and life.
- Stewardship of natural
resources:
Women in developing nations are usually in charge of securing water, food
and fuel and of overseeing family health and diet. Therefore, they tend to
put into immediate practice whatever they learn about nutrition and
preserving the environment and natural resources.
- Economic empowerment: More women than men
live in poverty. Economic disparities persist partly because much of the
unpaid work within families and communities falls on the shoulders of
women and because they face discrimination in the economic sphere.
- Educational empowerment: About two thirds of
the illiterate adults in the world are female. Higher levels of women's
education are strongly associated with both lower infant mortality and
lower fertility, as well as with higher levels of education and economic
opportunity for their children.
- Political empowerment: Social and legal
institutions still do not guarantee women equality in basic legal and
human rights, in access to or control of land or other resources, in
employment and earning, and social and political participation. Laws
against domestic violence are often not enforced on behalf of women.
- Empowerment throughout the
life cycle:
Reproductive health is a lifetime concern for both women and men, from
infancy to old age. UNFPA supports programming tailored to the different
challenges they face at different times in life.
Experience has shown that addressing gender equality and women’s
empowerment requires strategic interventions at all levels of programming
and policy-making.
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