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The State of World Population 2000IntroductionGender inequality holds back the growth of individuals, the development of countries and the evolution of societies, to the disadvantage of both women and men.
The facts of gender inequality–the restrictions placed on women's choices, opportunities and participation–have direct and often malign consequences for women's health and education, and for their social and economic participation. Yet until recent years, these restrictions have been considered either unimportant or non-existent, either accepted or ignored. The reality of women's lives has been invisible to men. This invisibility persists at all levels, from the family to the nation. Though they share the same space, women and men live in different worlds. The first steps have been taken to end this invisibility. In 1979, by adopting the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the global community agreed to eliminate gender discrimination. The Convention, which has the force of international law, has now been ratified by 165 of the 188 member states of the United Nations. Health care and education for girls and women have been the subject of international agreements, notably those reached at a series of world conferences on women beginning in 1975, the World Conference on Education for All in 1990 and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994. A rapidly growing number of countries have adopted population and development policies that include measures to meet the health care and education needs of girls and women, including their reproductive health needs. Education and health, including reproductive health, are human rights. Meeting education and health needs and working towards gender equality will also contribute to balanced population growth and economic development. Most countries have some measures in place to protect women's personal security and their rights in marriage, property, inheritance, political representation and the workplace. Those measures are being expanded and increasingly enforced. The impact of women's empowerment on the rights and roles of men is being considered. Efforts to bring women into the mainstream of development now emphasize partnership between women and men. "Gender issues" are not the same as "women's issues": understanding gender means understanding opportunities, constraints and the impact of change as they affect both women and men. It is increasingly understood that partnership between women and men is the basis for strong families and viable societies in a rapidly changing world. Equal partnership is also the aim of women's organizations, which are rapidly growing in number and strength in many countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The advantages of partnerships between official organizations and women's groups are increasingly recognized. Yet gender inequality remains pervasive. It is a public concern, but it also relates to private behaviour, and therefore has not yet been fully discussed, especially where male dominance is the basis of family life. Elsewhere, though unequal restrictions on women may be outlawed or condemned, they persist in forms that have been rendered more socially acceptable. This year's State of World Population report makes the case for bringing gender inequality fully into the light and treating it as a matter of urgency affecting both human rights and development priorities. Gender discrimination will not end until all eyes are opened to its inherent contradictions, and countries, communities and families take action to end it. Box 1: Discrimination and Poverty Go Hand in Hand SummaryMore equal power relations between men and women, combined with increased access to good reproductive health care, would save the lives of hundreds of thousands of women, including many of those who die from pregnancy-related causes. If women had the power to make decisions about sexual activity and its consequences, they could avoid many of the 80 million unwanted pregnancies each year, 20 million unsafe abortions, some 500,000 maternal deaths (including 78,000 as a result of unsafe abortion), and many times that number of infections and injuries. They could also avoid many of the 333 million new sexually transmitted infections contracted each year. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable (Chapter 2). Violence against women also takes a steep toll on women's health, well-being and social participation (Chapter 3). Men must involve themselves in protecting women's reproductive health as a matter of self-interest and to protect their families, as well as for its own sake (Chapter 4). The equality of women and men is integral to development (Chapter 5). It is also a human right (Chapter 6). Governments must take the fundamental decisions. Donor countries have agreed to support these priorities, but donors in the 1990s have not met even half of the agreed resource targets in the area of population and reproductive health (Chapter 7). Download the Chapters:
>> 3. Violence against Women and Girls: A Human Rights and Health Priority
>> 4. Men, Reproductive Rights and Gender Equality
>> 5. Counting the Cost of Gender Inequality
>> 6. Women's Rights Are Human Rights
>> 7. Working Towards a Better Future
>>
Notes
Source: http://www.unfpa.org |
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