Transcript Gender indicators in the Arab region Presented by Suheir Azzouni Chief, ESCWA Centre for Women.

Gender indicators in the Arab
region
Presented by Suheir Azzouni
Chief, ESCWA Centre for Women
Engendering MDG Indicators
Efforts by experts and activists stressed
the need to engender the MDGs through
linking them to CEDAW and BPFA and
the outcomes of relevant international
conferences and summits.
Linking the MDGs to international
instruments means
• Explicit recognition that mainstreaming gender
issues and concerns is essential for all areas of
development and as such in all plans, policies
and programmes.
• Linking the previously affirmed political, legal,
social, cultural, economic and civil rights to the
achievement on the MDGs.
• Recognition that women human rights are linked
and indivisible ( reproduction, marriage,
education, labor etc)
• It obligates countries to undertake “all
appropriate measures, including legislation
and temporary special measures, so that
women can enjoy all their human rights
and fundamental freedoms.”
• It obligates the elimination of all acts of
discrimination against women by persons,
organizations or enterprises.
Addressing the MDGs through
linking to international instruments
• Basically means examining the various
disempowering factors that lead to
women’s inequality in the various spheres.
These disempowering factors may take
three shapes:
• Legal barriers
• Structural barriers
• Cultural and attitudinal barriers
Gender indicators
Literature on women and the MDGs has pointed out to various
indicators that spotlight the status of women. These include (from
another ESCWA study focusing on Goal 3 on the empowerment and
the gender equality of women):
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access to and control over resources
agency, ability to act to utilise resources
achievements
bodily integrity (control over her own body and her sexuality)
positive images of self-worth
control and influence over strategic decisions and resources at
household and public levels
• ability to do collective work
Indicators
• changed attitudes and expectations of women
• raised knowledge about their situation and
position
• new actions to raise their position and voice
• increased role in decision making and
participation at all levels
• Increased mobility for women
• Women’s economic security
• Women’s ability to make larger purchases
• Increased involvement in household decisions
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Women’s economic security
Women’s ability to make larger purchases
Increased involvement in household decisions
Relative freedom from family domination
Women’s political and legal awareness
Women’s increased participation in political campaigning
Relative freedom from family domination
Women’s political and legal awareness
Women’s increased participation in political campaigning
Regional specificities
• Reservations to CEDAW
• Linking family law to various interpretation of
religion
• Inadequate effective gender mainstreaming of
plans and policies at the governmental and the
non-governmental levels
• Lowest political female representation of women
worldwide
• Lowest female formal labour activity worldwide
• Very high female illiteracy rate: 50% of female
adult population.
Regional specificities
• Problematic traditions and beliefs that form
taboos
• Weak civil society and democratic institutions
• Political instabilities that reflect upon better
focusing upon democratic and social justice
issues
• challenging current global economic policies
which seem to exacerbate social injustice and
gender inequality
• Inadequate sex-disaggregated data
• Not enough qualitative studies
Engendering MDG indicators
• What is needed is a systematic approach
that takes into consideration CEDAW and
BPFA, the gender analysis frameworks
and the disempowering factors to spotlight
the situation of women in the region.
Goal 1: Eradication of poverty
Legal Fatcors
Structural Factors
Attitudinal and cultural factors
Property rights
a.
Land
b.
Money stocks
c.
Other
Availability of sex-disaggregated data
Percentage of females in
implementing structures including
courts, and police at the
a. Decision-making level
b. Implementation level
Traditions which shame women who
inherit
Traditions which shame women who write
property in their names
Strong women’s movement
Inheritance laws
Availability of empirical data
Availability of qualitative studies
Availability of policies
Strong civil society
Gender mainstreaming at government
Labour law
-Discriminatory articles
-Gender responsive
-Quotas
-Reproductive roles safeguarded and
compensated
-Practical gender needs taken into
consideration
Percentage of females in
implementing structures
Women not shamed if they work
Strong social network
Marriage and Divorce
-Deferred dower
-Equal property shares upon divorce
-Alumni
Extent of law enforcement
Extent of female friendly structures
Availability of shelters
Those abusive women are shamed
Goal 2: Achieving Universal
Primary Education
Legal and Policy Factors
Structural Factors
Attitudinal and Cultural
Factors
Laws on compulsory
Education
Laws on early marriage
Regulations on accepting
married girls in classroom
Affirmative action on
scholarships and
appointments
Extent of law enforcement
Female representation at
decision-making level
Availability of sexdisaggregated data
Women equally viewed as
bread-winner
Reproductive role viewed as
shared between men and
women
Women encouraged to
assume decision-making
roles
Curricula gender-friendly
(text and illustration)
Same curricula for all
School mapping
Number of female to male
schools
Gender friendly schools
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality
and Empowerment of Women
Legal and policy factors
Structural factors
Attitudinal/ cultural factors
Reservation to CEDAW
(imposition, lifting of
reservations)
Representation of women in
parliament
Policies
Budgets for Gender mainst.
Encouragement of women
to run and participate in
elections
Public support for women’s
participation
Optional Protocol
Representation in
government
Quotas – affirmative actions
Standpoints of political
parties regarding women
representation and issues
Congruence of laws to
CEDAW / extent of
enjoyment of political,
social, economic rights
Representation in economic
bodies
Portrayal of audio and
visual media to women
Studies on honor killing,
FGM and violence against
women
Awareness of women rights
of women and the public at
large