UN DAW Expert Meeting on Equal Gender Sharing of Responsibilities + Discussion Paper
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: September 1, 2008
WUNRN
UN Division for the Advancement of
Women
UN
Expert Group Meeting
The Equal Sharing of Responsibilities Between Women
and Men, Including Caregiving in the Context of HIV/AIDS
Geneva, Switzerland
6 – 9 October 2008
In accordance with its multi-year programme of work for
2007-2009, the Commission
on the Status of Women will consider “Equal sharing of
responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of
HIV/AIDS” as its priority theme during its fifty-third session in
2009. In order to contribute to a further understanding of the issue and to
assist the Commission in its deliberations, the United Nations Division for the
Advancement of Women will convene an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the topic.
The EGM will take place from 6 – 9 October 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.
______________________________________________________________
11 September 2008
ENGLISH only
United Nations
Division for the
Advancement of Women
Expert Group Meeting
on “The Equal Sharing of
Responsibilities Between Women and Men, Including Care Giving in the Context of
HIV/AIDS”
6-9 October, 2008
Discussion Paper
Submitted by the
The NGO Committee on UNICEF: Working Group on Girls∗
Division for the Advancement of Women
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations,
Fax: (212) 963-3463
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw
∗ The
views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent those of the United Nations.
We, Non-Governmental
Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC and members of the Working
Group on Girls, reaffirm and call attention to the inherent dignity and the
equal and inalienable rights of the girl child. We acknowledge the important
step taken in Section L of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) in
emphasizing the girl child,[i][1] as well as the international legal architecture for
girls, mainly the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which
mutually reinforce the principals of gender equality.[ii][2] We are also encouraged by the commitments reaffirmed
at the 2002 General Assembly Special Session on A World Fit for Children[iii][3] and the 2005 World Summit, where Member States agreed
to adopt comprehensive national strategies to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by the end of 2015. We are concerned, however, that
after more than a decade of policies, promises and programs the girl child
remains powerless, invisible and neglected throughout her life-cycle. She is
repeatedly denied her political, economic, social and cultural rights and is
routinely subjected to cultural and legally sanctioned behaviors that hinder
her development and empowerment, especially if she is a member of various
disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
The 2008 Expert Group
Meeting with a focus on the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and
men, including care giving in the context of HIV/AIDS, offers a unique
opportunity to strengthen the implementation of the Agreed Conclusions adopted
by the two previous sessions of the CSW.[iv][4] We are particularly concerned with how gender based
inequality places an unequal burden on girls with respect to
responsibility-sharing and how this burden increases in an HIV/AIDS context,
and are pleased to have this opportunity to offer some of our observations to
the Expert Group for consideration and discussion.
1. Gender Inequality and the Girl Child: The Role of Cultural Norms,
Gender Roles and Gender Stereotypes
Cultural norms, gender
roles, and gender stereotypes are at the root of gender inequality. As a result
of cultural traditions and social norms that perpetuate stereotypic attitudes
and discrimination toward women and girls, gender inequality and discrimination
continues to be pervasive.[v][5] A
substantial body of research has shown that: (a) gender role development is
socially constructed and learned from birth;[vi][6] (b) prevailing gender-specific attributes and socialization have a
deleterious influence on child development whereby young girls and boys are
forced into strict gender roles;[vii][7] and (c) prevailing gender stereotypes and less valued social
roles associated with the more marginalized status of women relative to men
continues to heighten the vulnerability of the girl child.[viii][8] Research has also demonstrated the profound
influences exerted by race, socioeconomic status, rural/urban residence,
migrant status, etc. on the inequalities experienced by girls and women.[ix][9]
Our present global
reality continues to be characterized by severe and pervasive violence and
danger to the lives and well being of girls on all continents. The girl child
continues to experience many of the worst human rights abuses. She is too often
denied her right to food, health, education and the freedom to choose her life
partner and her life’s work. She is repeatedly denied her political, economic,
social and cultural rights and subjected to cultural and legally sanctioned
behaviors that hinder her development and empowerment. As a result, girls,
particularly those in disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, are less able to
participate fully in society, especially in terms of decision making. They also
have fewer resources and opportunities. Young girls remain particularly
vulnerable as a result of gender development processes that marginalize them
from job opportunities (for example, the existing gendered division of labour
and associated attributes, that relegate women, especially those from disadvantaged
and vulnerable populations, to the unpaid care economy and men to the
productive public sphere).[x][10]
Cultural norms, social
roles, and the gender stereotypes associated with them also determine household
roles for women and men and girls and boys and as a result, girls and women
bear a disproportionate share of household responsibilities. The consequences
for the girl child include : (a) less access to resources and income generating
activities and opportunities; (b) lower income; (c) limited involvement in the
public sphere; and (d) lack of education to prepare them for work and
responsibilities in the public sphere. For example, in many parts of the world,
educating girls is still viewed as a wasted investment.[xi][11] Females are less likely than their male peers to be
able to read and write or to be enrolled in primary and secondary school.
Furthermore, even when they go to school, discriminatory attitudes prevail.
School curricula, policies and programs too often reinforce existing social
roles and gender stereotypes and in too many instances girls are still
subjected to harassment and abuse by classmates and teachers.[xii][12]
2. Gender Inequality and the Girl Child in the Context of HIV/AIDS
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has
compounded the care giving responsibilities of women and girls. Girls and women
provide the majority of care when families and individuals are affected by
HIV/AIDS and in many cases, older daughters assume the full responsibility for
the household. The disproportionate share of the burden imposed on women and
girls was recognized by the CSW.[xiii][13] Girls and young women are expected to manage both
educational and domestic responsibilities, often resulting in poor scholastic
performance and early drop-out from the educational system. The unequal sharing
of responsibilities when families are affected by HIV/AIDS has implications for
the full participation of girls in decision-making in all areas, limiting their
potential to find the time and develop the skills needed for their full
participation. In addition, research
on the “parentified child” – children under the age of 18 who provide
care for a family member – indicates that they are at increased risk for
adverse health and developmental outcomes and do so at the expense of their own
developmentally appropriate needs and pursuits.[xiv][14]
In some cases, these girl
child care givers also suffer from HIV/AIDS. The practice of having sex with a
virgin to “cure” HIV still exists and
girl children are all too often unable to protect themselves from unwanted
sexual activity. They are also vulnerable due to early marriage to much older
men and the transmission of the disease from their mother. This tragedy is
compounded by the lack of medical care and access to HIV/AIDS drugs by the most
marginalized of the sufferers.
The social stigma of
HIV/AIDS further magnifies low status for women and girls compromising their
ability to fulfill their traditional responsibilities. All too often, community
members fear people with HIV/AIDS and impose a social stigma.[xv][15] This
stigma is particularly costly for young girls because they are expected to
provide care to family members (regardless of their own health status), while
at the same time facing multiple sources of difficulty and discrimination. These
include lack of education and labor market skills because of early withdrawal
from the education system (in the case of young girls being pulled out of
school to care for affected family members) and direct discrimination by
potential employers, health care workers and community members because their
families have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Empower the Girl Child through Mainstream Campaigns to Transform
Attitudes, Prevailing Norms and Gender Stereotypes, as these Intersect with Race,
Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Rural/Urban Residence, Migrant Status and
other Categories of Social Experiences.
Since the situation of
young girls is rooted in systems of social and cultural inequalities including
gender politics, sexual inequalities, gender-based discrimination, and
patriarchal structures, there must be a strong commitment to changing
prevailing social norms and attitudes affecting the development of girls
especially those in vulnerable groups. We recommend the launch of a worldwide
mainstream campaign to transform attitudes and behavior, to combat gender
inequality and eliminate stereotypes that prevent full partnership of women and
men both in the household and in the public sphere.[xvi][16] This campaign should be launched and implemented at
various levels including the
family, community (building social capital), state (creating an enabling
socio-economic environment, policy/legal framework) and the international level
(fashioning a legal framework that compels states to address taxation,
employment policies, budgeting, etc. from a gender perspective).
A Campaign focused on transforming attitudes
must include the role of men and boys in establishing gender equality as an
effective strategy. This strategy should be incorporated in national policies
and programs at all levels. Failure to educate boys for equality will have
devastating consequences not only for girls, but also for society as a whole.
As long as the oppression of women is tolerated, men will continue to harbor
harmful attitudes and habits that they carry from the family to the work place,
to political life and ultimately to international relations.
The negative influence of
the media, including the Internet, has been widely discussed. [xvii][17] Its positive potential, however, has gone largely
untapped. The media’s responsibility in encouraging positive social values in
boys and girls and to improve the ways in which women are portrayed must be
valued and encouraged. There should be opportunities given for the media to participate
in national consultations both to understand their crucial role in
implementation of national policies and programs and contribute towards them.
2. Promote the
Participation, Visibility and Empowerment of the Girl Child
The skills, ideas and energy of
all girls, especially those from disadvantaged groups, are vital for the full
attainment of the goals of gender equality, education for all, sustainable
development and peace. We have to ensure that girls have the opportunity to be
heard and that their views are valued and incorporated into discussions and
decisions, especially into those areas which affect their lives most directly
both at the household level and in the public spheres. Therefore, the
mechanisms must be developed for United Nations, governments and civil society
organizations, to increase the participation of girls at the international,
national and local processes to fully incorporate the concerns and
recommendations of girls. Governments and communities can create safe spaces
for girls to speak, to voice their concerns and to find assistance when
violence is committed against them.
3. Promote Competence and Resilience of the Girl Child through
Education and Training
Effective strategies to
achieve gender equality must include the social, political and economic
empowerment of girls through education programmes and job training to prepare
them for their critical roles in their families and communities.[xviii][18] Curricula need to be rights-based, gender sensitive
and empowering. Promotion of gender-sensitive mentoring and training with
appropriate materials and methods from the earliest years will assure that the
girl child will become an empowered woman.
4. Promote and
Institutionalize the Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination of Data on Girls,
Disaggregated by Sex, Age, Race, Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status[xix][19]
Better qualitative and
quantitative research will help all to understand the realities of girls,
particularly those from the most vulnerable groups and how to best meet their needs.
UN agencies, international UN conventions and agreements are best channels to
initiate the institutionalization process. When policy makers have access to
data that is disaggregated by gender, age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic
status, they can make appropriate resource allocations and better public
policy.
We also urge the United
Nations, governments, civil society organizations and universities to engage in
research about girls worldwide, especially those in high risk settings. Such
research is critical to effectively measuring previously agreed upon goals and
targets designed to ensure girls’ rights and the degree of vulnerabilities
among girls. Data disaggregated in critical sectors inter alia health,
education, labor and protection will assist in creating an inclusive gender
perspective for the planning, implementation and monitoring of government
programs and benchmarking
across nations and communities.[xx][20]
5. Provide Resources
and Funding for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Girls
In view of the
disproportionate care responsibilities taken on by girls and young women in the
context of HIV/AIDS, and the low status afforded to them in many societies, a
key point of intervention would be expanding economic opportunities for them.[xxi][21] Such
opportunities would enhance their ability to meet the financial
responsibilities that so many take on after the death of their parents. We support the development of gender-responsive
budgeting that explicitly allocates monies for: (a) girls’ health programs,
including adolescent and HIV/AIDS issues; (b) programs to end the trafficking
of girls for labor and for sexual exploitation; (c) programs to end all forms
of violence against the girl child, including female genital cutting, incest,
prenatal sex selection and infanticide; and (d) education at all levels.
6. Strengthen the Role of Civil Society and
Organizations for Girls’ Participation and Empowerment
Partnerships with civil society
are vital to ensure the promotion of equal sharing of responsibilities of women
and men and to provide concrete policy recommendations for governments, United
Nations, and other stakeholders. Tackling gender stereotypes, empowering girls
to participate more fully in their families and communities, expanding
educational and training opportunities for girls, and increasing research and
expanding data collection and dissemination will require the active involvement
of civil society groups. We encourage the secretariat and governments to
welcome and support the active participation of their civil society partners as
these organizations occupy a central place in society and can support
efforts to ensure women’s and girls’ rights and full participation in the
development of their communities.
We thank the Expert Group
Meeting for your kind attention to these matters and for extending your review
and consideration to the girl child. As we all know she is the key to the
future.
Annex 1
Members of the
Steering Committee of the Working Group on Girls NGO Committee on UNICEF,
York
Signatories of the WGG
Discussion Paper in Preparation for the Expert Group Meeting.
6-9 October, 2008
LIST IN FORMATION
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ENDNOTES
[i][1] Recall that in
the Beijing Platform for Action, Section L, governments called attention to the
need to overcome the gender stereotypes that exist in many societies in order
to allow girls to develop their full potential. Traditional gender roles and
stereotypes often narrowly define the division of labour between women and men,
and girls and boys in the domestic sphere.
[ii][2] Commitments on the
equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men and boys and girls,
including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS have also been made by
Governments at the international level, including at the International
Conference on Population and Development (1994), the Fourth World Conference on
Women (1995), the World Summit for Social Development (1995), and the 23rd
special session of the General Assembly (2000), as well as by the Commission on
the Status of Women.
[iii][3] In a World Fit for
children the governments of the world declared that they were “determined to eliminate all forms of
discrimination against the girl child throughout her life cycle and to provide
special attention to her needs in order to promote and protect all her human
rights, including the right to be free from coercion and from harmful practices
and sexual exploitation.” They further promised to “promote gender equality and equal access to basic social services,
such as education, nutrition, and health care, including sexual and
reproductive healthcare, vaccinations, and protection from diseases
representing the major causes of mortality, and will mainstream a gender
perspective in all development policies and programmes.”
[iii][4] The 51st
Session of the CSW, with the theme “The
Elimination of Discrimination and Violence Against the Girl Child”, offered
a unique opportunity for Member States to review progress, improve and
accelerate policies and programmes designed to fulfill promises made at Beijing
and beyond and to ensure all girls achieve the full enjoyment of their human
rights. In the Agreed Conclusions, the Commission acknowledged that girls do
not receive sufficient, explicit attention in policy and program development
and resource allocation (#10) and called on governments to “Give explicit attention to the girl child in budget processes at all
levels, including resource allocation and expenditure reviews, to ensure the
mobilization of sufficient resources for the elimination of all forms of
discrimination and violence against girls” (13l). The 52nd
Session of the CSW, with the theme “Financing
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women”, offered a unique
opportunity to strengthen the implementation of the Agreed Conclusions adopted
by the 51st Session of the CSW. In the Agreed Conclusions, the
Commission reaffirmed the goals that are critical to the promotion of gender
equality and the empowerment of women and girls (#12) and called on governments
to “ Increase the investment in gender
equality and empowerment of women and girls, taking into account the diversity
of needs and circumstances of women and girls, including through mainstreaming
a gender perspective in resource allocation and ensuring the necessary human,
financial and material resources for specific and targeted activities to ensure
gender equality at the local, national, regional and international levels, as
well as through enhanced and increased international cooperation” (21a).
They further urged governments to “Ensure
that sufficient resources are allocated for activities targeting the elimination
of persistent obstacles to gender equality and the empowerment of women and
girls in all critical areas of concern of the Platform for Action” (21b).
[v][5] IPU-UNICEF:
Inter-Parliamentary
Fund. (2005). Combating Child
Trafficking: Handbook for Parliamentarians, No. 9.
IPU and UNICEF.
[vi][6] Chick, K.A., Heilman-Houser, R., Hunter, M.
W., The impact of child care on gender role development and gender stereotypes.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(3), 149-154.
[vii][7] O’Reilly, P. (2001). Learning to be a
girl. In Educating Young Adolescent Girls. (P. O’Reilly, E. P. Penn, &
K. de Marrais (Eds.), pp. 11- 28. NJ: Erlbaum.
[viii][8] Asian Development Bank
(ADB). (2006). Pursuing gender equality through the Millennium Development
Goals in
IPU-UNICEF:
Inter-Parliamentary
Fund. (2005). Combating Child
Trafficking: Handbook for Parliamentarians, No. 9.
IPU and UNICEF.
[x][10] UNDAW (2002,
November). Trafficking in women and girls: Report of the Expert Group Meeting,
Cove
[xi][11] UNICEF (2005). Excluded and invisible: The state of the
world’s children, 2006.
[xii][12] UNICEF (2005). Excluded and invisible: The state of the
world’s children, 2006.
[xiii][13] In the Agreed
Conclusions of the CSW (52nd Session), the Commission noted the
disproportionate share of the burden imposed on women and girls imposed by the
HIV/AIDS crisis and urged Governments and others to take a number of actions,
including “Address the overall expansion
and feminization of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, taking into account that women and
girls bear a disproportionate share of the burden imposed by the HIV/AIDS
crisis, that they are more easily infected, that they play a key role in care
and that they have become more vulnerable to violence, stigma and
discrimination, poverty and marginalization from their families and communities
as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and, in that regard, significantly scale up
efforts towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention
programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010 and ensure that those efforts
integrate and promote gender equality”(21ff).
[xiv][14] (a) Chase, N. D. (1999). Burdened children:
Theory, research, and treatment of parentification.
Oaks
& Cushway, D. (2002). The parentified child. Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 7(2), 163-178; (c) Hooper, L. M. (2007). The application of attachment theory and
family systems theory to the phenomena of parentification. The Family Journal, 15(3), 217-223; (d)
Jurkovic, G. J. (1997). Lost childhoods:
The plight of the parentified child. Psychology Press.
[xv][15] Herek, G. et al.
1998. Workshop report: AIDS & stigma: A conceptual framework and research
agenda, AIDS & Public Policy Journal 13(1), 36-47.
[xvi][16] Martin, C.L. Ruble,
D.N. & Szkrybalo, J. (2002). Cognitive theories of early gender
development. Psychological Bulletin, 128(6),
903–933.
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