Policy > Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women - Summary

Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women - Summary

Women's equality is an absolute necessity if the blight of poverty is to be removed...

This paper sets out what we believe will be required to achieve this goal.

Introduction

The focus of the is paper is on the powerful links between women's empowerment and the elimination of world poverty. The struggle for gender equality is a key instrument for lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Beyond this, it is also a central element of the wider struggle for human rights for all.

The Millennium Development Goals

Equal access for girls and boys to primary and secondary education by the year 2005 has been identified as a key measure of progress towards gender equality. Getting more girls through school is essential, but vital as it is, education alone will not be enough. Inequalities between women and men are deeply rooted, and need to be tackled across the board in economic, political, social and cultural life. In many cases progress in education will be dependent on success in tackling wider and deeper causes of inequality.

The Challenge

Gender inequality, poverty, and human development

A key conclusion drawn from the UNDP analysis is that progress towards gender equality is not dependent on the income level of a society, but is more dependent on political will.

Key areas of inequality

• Economic development and livelihood security
  According to the UN, women perform 53% of all economic activity in developing countries, but only about a third of their work is currently measured and acknowledged in national accounts, compared with three quarters of men.
• Human Development
  Research by the World Bank has shown that education for girls is the single most effective way of tackling poverty. Women with even a few years of basic education have smaller, healthier families: - child mortality is lower, the higher the number of years of education of the mother. Each additional year of female education is thought to reduce child mortality by 5-10%.
• Personal security and violence against women
  In parts of south and east Asia, some traditions see girls as a burden rather than an asset. Infanticide, sex selective abortion, and preferential care and feeding of boys, particularly in early childhood, appear to lie behind demographic data which show alarming evidence of "missing" women in some populations.
• Empowerment and political representation
  Women are poorly represented at all levels of political life and decision making, leading to the widespread neglect of women's priorities at all levels by politicians and bureaucrats. Figures published in 1999 show that women hold only 12.7% of the world's parliamentary seats, and only 8.7% of those in the least developed countries.
• Disability
  Women with disabilities suffer multiple disadvantages and severe challengers to the achievement of their human rights.
• Rights of the child
  The sexual exploitation of children is a particularly abhorrent violation of child rights. It is estimated by the International Labour Organisation that up to 95% of child prostitutes are girls. As many as 800,000 children in Thailand, 400,000 in Brazil, 100,000 in Philippines and countless thousands elsewhere, have been forced into prostitution. Many others are compelled to work, from very early on in their lives, to help their families fend off poverty.

Experience to date

The 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 set out 12 critical areas of concern as the basis for the global Platform for Action. This built on the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other human rights instruments and agreements.

The combination of the Millennium Development Targets, CEDAW, and the Platform for Action sets out a powerful and challenging framework of international agreements for the pursuit of gender equality.

Lessons from international experience

Progress has been greatest where there has been strong political will, where changes in laws and regulations have been followed through with real action, and resources have been devoted to the explicit goal of reducing gender discrimination. The experience of Guinea cited in a A Better World for All is instructive. Guinea managed to double the percentage of girls enrolled in school over the period 1991-98. It did so by taking action to redress discrimination and to cater for the particular needs of girls, for example by providing separate latrines. But the key lesson is this was done consciously as and integral part of the government's education policy.

The spread of democracy and more vibrant civil societies appear to be key factors in success. There is also a growing realisation in the private sector of the benefits of ethical and socially responsible behaviour in enabling businesses to operate sustainably and maintain consumer confidence.

Lessons from the donor experience

Four key issues stand out:

• A major problem is that of so called 'policy evaporation', where good policy intentions fail to be followed through in practice.
• Another important lesson is the importance of good statistics and other data, disaggregated by sex to aid policy formulation and monitor progress.
• A major lesson is that little can be achieved in the long term by focusing only on small-scale activities.
• Donors can make a more important contribution within a framework of collaboration with key actors in government, civil society and the private sector, and through the sharing of experience and the development of new ideas.

Meeting the challenge

Key actors

• Government
  The fundamental responsibility for the achievement of gender equality rests with governments. They also command the public resources needed to deliver basic services in an equitable way and set the 'rules of the game' for actors in civil society and the private sector.
• Civil Society
  Can lobby governments and the private sector to ensure that policy commitments are delivered and, where necessary, appropriate changes to policies and laws are made. Civil Society also provides innovative solutions based on cultural and social realities that can be scaled up to improve the impact of programmes.
• Private Sector
  The private sector-at all levels and in all sectors is the engine of economic growth and development and is also a standard setter in relation to the rights of both workers and consumers. Businesses, whatever their size, must act responsibly and recognise their social obligations.
• Donors
  Donors include: The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Bank, the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the European Commission (EC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Importantly, improved coordination and cooperation will be needed if good governance and maximum progress is to be achieved.
• Trade Unions
  Have a vital role to play.

Priorities for DFID

Progress so far

DFID's focus since the 1997 White Paper has been on strengthening the delivery of the policy and finding better measures of progress. Implementation is based on 'twin-track' approach. This combines specific activities aimed at empowering women with a commitment to put concerns about gender equality into the mainstream of development programmes.

Examples of DFID support for gender equality and women's empowerment

Education

• DFID-funded training has helped 500 women get promoted to head teacher in primary schools in Kenya in only two years.
• Between 1995 and 1997, primary school enrolment in DFID- supported districts in India has risen by 6.5%, Girls enrolment rose more - by 7.5%. Among girls from scheduled castes the rise was 12.4% and among scheduled tribes it was 9.6%.
• DFID's support to non-formal education programmes in Bangladesh is enabling thousands of school drop-outs, the majority girls, to re-enter formal education.

Women in public life

• Training for prospective women candidates and a women's voter education project in Kenya led to a higher turnout among women, and more women elected, in project than non-project districts.

Reproductive and sexual health

• DFID's support to innovative work to reduce the risks of catching HIV in east Africa and Asia includes educational and awareness raising work to change gendered attitudes and empower women and girls to take more control over their sexual relationships.

Purpose of the strategy

The purpose of DFID's strategy is to ensure that women's empowerment and gender equality are actively pursued in the mainstream of all development activities. It also signals an intention to move more actively into fundamental areas of core policy and regulatory reform and strategic action - we will implement this through a framework of collaboration.

However, it is not donor action in itself that will bring about lasting change, but the actions of governments and , most importantly, women, men and children themselves which will bring about the fundamental transformations the goal of gender equality demands.

Specific Objectives

DFID's strategy will aim to support the achievement of ten specific objectives:

1. To promote equality in rights for women and men through international and national policy reform.
2. To secure greater livelihood security, access to productive assets and economic opportunities for women as well as men.
3. To further close gender gaps in human development, particularly education and health.
4. To promote the more equal participation of women in decision making and leadership roles at all levels
5. To increase women's personal security and reduce gender-based violence.
6. To strengthen institutional mechanisms and national machineries for the advancement of women in governments and civil society.
7. To promote equality for women under the law and non-discrimination in access to justice.
8. To reduce gender stereotyping and bring about changes in social attitudes in favour of women.
9. To help develop gender aware approaches to the management of the environment and the safeguarding of natural resources.
10. To ensure that progress is made in upholding the rights of both girls and boys within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Above all, we will seek to ensure that our work in support of gender equality goals is well-focused, practical and directly linked to changes in the real world for the benefit of both women, men and children.