jocelyne gm poverty presentation

Towards GENDER Equality Gender Mainstreaming Women’s Empowerment

Poverty , Pro poor Policies , MDGs

2007

Sequences

Definitions Poverty has a gendered face/MDGs Data & Recommendations :Impact of

globalization & Gender “ economic participation of Arab Women

Conventions Gender Equality & Links to Poverty Challenges & Opportunities :UNDP COs

Gender Mainstreaming:The process of assessing the implications for

women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels.

It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.

The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.”

(The ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/2)

Women’s Empowerment

Complementary strategy Women as caregivers Women as caretakers Women as providers Women as decision makers Women as agents of changes

Caregivers

Daughters, wives, mothers, women have primary responsibility for the care & nurturing of families

For the child care & elder-care & disabled, sick

For the nutrition, health care, first educators, main household laborers

Roles expand: provision of services/education, health, domestic work, women are providers more often than recipients of such services

Caretakers

Women are the main caretakers of the world’s most precious natural resources: water, soil, biomass energy ( trees, grasses, crop residues & dung.

Primary gatherers & users of water, fuel, primary producers of food crops for home consumption

Choices made by them ( knowledge of resources) key role ecological survival.

Providers : Women’s work

+ household responsibilities: women are economically active

Family farm; family business ( often without pay nor recognition of contribution)

Earn income as employees, self employed entrepreneurs

Critical role: economic survival of family Head of family

Paradox

Women comprise over 50% of the world’s population, account for nearly 2/3 of all hours spent working-for which they receive only 1/3 of the world’s income- and own less than 1% of the world property

Source: WB

Facts & Figuressource: UN Statistical Office

Formal sector: World average: women receive 30%-40% less than men for doing the same jobs

Informal sector: Majority of 300 million people working & Majority women

Unaccounted labour: work in the home or unpaid work for family enterprise ,farms could account + 4 trillions annually

Decision Makers

Support workers Management 10%-30% Politics: legislators, cabinets, heads of gov’t

3-to 10% ceiling) Parliamentary Representation ( need 35-

50% to reach parity) Development agencies 5% + only Community organizations/& voluntary

sector

Agents of Change

Men and Women are equal partners

There is no other way to live

Paradoxes : women’s poor status

Women were , are the healers, but seldom the healed

Women were, are the educators ,often

illiterate Women were , are the food producers,

but not the landowners Women were are the small business

persons but have no credit

Paradoxes

Women headed 1/ 3 households, but often had, have the legal status of children

Has « development «worked for women» Has pro-poor policies, planning ,

programs worked for women? Are the current measurements capturing

realities, strategic and practical needs

MDGs Engendered ??

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger

MDG 3: Promote gender equality& empower women

MDG 7: Ensure women environmental sustainability

Others: #2 education #4 child mortality #5 maternal health #6 HIV #8 global

partnership

Poverty has an engendered face

Gender inequality distorts women’s access to assets: ( women do not have legal rights to land and property: access to credit, decent work & assured income)

Distorts access to public goods and services that are designed to improve well being : engaging in the public sphere? opportunities ?


Unequal distribution of resources within the family: ( traditions, nutrition, boys first)

Women’s access to employment is engendered ( discrimination with lower wages in job market & informal sector

Formal sector: pattern of discrimination $ and scale


Women are constrained by time poverty

Unequal distribution of care work Limitations of chances & opportunities

for education & employment & constraints their involvement in « development «

Feminisation of poverty


Gender equality in capabilities & access to opportunities can accelerate economic growth

Equal access for women to basic transport & energy infrastructure ( clean cooking fuels ) can lead to greater economic activitiy.


Gender equality in farms inputs helps increase agricultural production & reduce poverty because women farmers form a significant proportion of the rural poor.

Equal investment in women’s health & nutritional status reduces chronic hunger, malnourishment and will increase prooductivity & well being

Poverty has an engendered faceLets Measure It

Need Gender disaggregated data on poverty Vulnerable groups: Gender disaggregated

data : cycle of life/minority, disabilities, youth, single household etc)

Localising poverty indicators ( gender sensitive) Qualitative data and connections : poverty,

gender equality & other goals Money trail ( allocations of budget ( poverty

programs) Costing engedered MDGs

Poverty has an engendered face Lets Measure It.

% of women headed-households & of women below poverty line Income/earning.wages .Earnings by

level of education,/sector of employment /age

Labour participation/economic activity rate

Employment/unemployment rates by sex/sector/age/education/marital status

Poverty has an engendered face Lets Measure It

Growth rate of share in wage employment

Share of women entrepreneurs/owners of business

Share of women in public sector Time spent at work Access to social services/pensions/

credit


Women’s ownership of land and livestock

Access and control; of resources

Proportion of women in police, law making( human security/order) & policy-making bodies


Patriachy & women’s subordination Domestic violence

Gender biaises in customary laws Gender biaises in laws Linkages: Women’s role in market

economy & violence


Rural communities Environmental issues Poor households are dependent for

survival on common property resources Women are the main users of the

resources Women are often engaged in survival

agriculture on common lands ( impact due to environmental degradation


Daily collection of fuel, fodder & water

( impact on girls education ) Primary managers of domestic energy

resources ( non availability of clean fuel etc.-health impact and $)

Women bear the brunt of natural disasters ( caring of family in disaster- excluded of the decision making)


Recent moves towards pricing & cost recovery as measures for water conservation have contributed to women’s poverty ( $ or walk to unsafe source)

Lack of sanitation facilities Women in urban settlements have

different priorities for services & infrastructure ( mobility, security, excluded from urban planning

Regional issues: gender dimensionGlobalization source: CAWTAR

FDI ( F direct investment )not always targeting sectors where female labour is likely to grow: (ex.$ goes to chemicals, petrochemicals , materials, (M )and less goes to textile and leather (W )

Subtle trend to encourage Arab women to withdraw from the labour force ( also outside of region)


Arab Women labour force participation is the lowest in the world

Arab Region = 35.6 % Africa 62.5 %: Asia 45.2%; Latin A:45.2% Women prefer public sector/ fragile –

restructuring-negative impact Self employment :the less risky( home-

based waged employment )? Micro credit? Access???


Gender specific dimensions in under employment

Women illiteracy higher than men Education of women : related to market

needs Women’s participation in public life: LOW Limited potential to contribute to

changes

Recommendations

Review pro-poor policies & programs Legal, social and economical empowerment

package Review social security and tax regulations as

women individuals Address Arab Women unemployment and

under employment Equal access for women and men to affordable

credit, production –enhancing technology and market relevant training skills

Recommendations

Stakeholders: macro-meso and micro addressing gender dimensions for conducive empowerment

Civil societies, trade unions to address gender dimension

Gender sensitive measurements: qualitative & quantitative

Gender sensitive pro poor policies

CONVENTIONS Accountability - Lets measure it

CEDWA & Beijing Eliminate discrimination against women

to ensure the same rights for men and women ( C11)

Ensure rural women equal treatment in land reform and access to agriculture credit , loans, marketing facilities and technology ( C14.2)

Conventions Accountability - Lets measure it

Ensure men and women equality in all areas of economic and social life, and in particular the same rights to bank loans and all forms of financial credit ( C13.b)

Ensure equality between men and women in marriage and family life and in particular the same rights in ownership, acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property

( C14,3)


Ensure rural women enjoy adequate living conditions, especially in relation to housing, sanitation, electricity & water supply an transport and communications ( C 14)

Provide business services, training and access to markets, information& technology, particularly to low income women (B F3)


Gender based methodologies and research to address the feminization of poverty ( B,A4)

Appropriate working conditions, & control over economic resources ( B F1)


Integrate gender perspectives in legislation, public policies , programmes, and projects ( B-H2)

Integrate gender concerns & perspectives in policies for sustainable development ( B K2)


Gender Equality & Links to Poverty

Opportunity for Improved economic conditions

Barriers:

Gender difference in the impact of economic downturns

Unequal access to labor markets

Unequal access to productive assets

Pay discrimination

Opportunity for Improved economic conditions

Potential interventions Promoting economic growth Equal access to labor markets Access to productive assets Reducing women’s travel and time

burdens

Capacity: Enhanced human capital & quality of life

Barriers Unequal access to education Unequal access to health Limited access to water & energy

leading to women’s time poverty

Capacity: Enhanced human capital & quality of life

Potential interventions Access to education Access to health Access to water & energy

Security: Greater Economic & Physical Security

Barriers Vulnerability to economic risk Vulnerability to natural disasters Vulnerability to civil & domestic violence Vulnerability to environmental risks

Security: Greater Economic & Physical Security

Potential interventions Helping poor women & men manage risk Manage economic crisis & natural

disasters Protection from civil and domestic

violence

Empowerment : Increased political participation & gender equality

Barriers Institutions not accessible to poor

women & men Lack of voice in national policies Limited voice in community decision -

making

Empowerment : Increased political participation & gender equality

Potential Interventions : governance Making institutions more responsive to

poor women & men Removing barriers to political

participation for women and men Empowering women & men to demand

accountability from institutions

Challenges & Opportunities Lets measure it Accountability : UNDP Are the gender dimensions integrated

into our “ poverty & governance “ portfolio ?Can we localized the gender dimensions in all the programs & operations? Gender sensitive budgeting

M&E tools Gender disaggregated data “ Basic framework: Case to build”

References

CF: GMRU UNDP documents Gender mobile resource unit

Jocelyne Talbot

SURF-AS

Gender Policy Advisor

[email protected]

Thank You.

jocelyne gm poverty presentation

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