In most third world countries, women are far behind in economic development. Women in some Middle Eastern countries comprise of merely 18.3% of the total paid employment. Promoting equal employment has yet to be fully implemented by governments. Many women rely on micro-credit loans from international organizations because their governments cannot provide them with jobs. The UN Secretary General stated this is because governments lack a "political will" with insufficient budgets allocated to women. Vedior, an international staffing service, claims that women are "more likely than men to be employed in low-productivity, low-paid, and vulnerable jobs, with little protection or rights." While governments focus on increasing employment rates, they must include gender specific policies to ensure that women on the poverty line have an opportunity to beneficial and sustainable employment. Governments also fail to recognize that women with equal employment opportunities can have dramatically positive effects on that nation's economy. Although the United States is still behind in equal employment wages for women, a large majority of women are employed, which is a huge factor in the United State's economic improvements over the last decade. Employment is not the only obstacle for women living in poverty. They face domestic violence, lack of clean water, and the spread of AIDS.
International organizations have played a significant role in assisting with women's development. UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) offers finances to programs focused on women's empowerment and equality worldwide. Amnesty International has a goal to end violence against women while promoting gender equality. On International Women's Day, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) promoted the importance of maternal health worldwide. They stated that better access to maternal health can reduce up to half a million deaths related to pregnancy each year. Because so many women live in poverty, access to affordable medical treatment is not an option for them. Women for Women International assists female survivors of war torn countries, providing them with economic sustainability. Although these organizational contributions have had an impact on women's progress, poverty has overall continued to rise.
The correlation between women's development and poverty is a vital connection governments fail to address. By addressing overall poverty without a major focus on women's development, poverty cannot be alleviated. Women comprise over half the world's population and are the primary caretakers for families, specifically children. Therefore, without a focus on the situation of women, children are therefore neglected as well. Young girls must also be a vital focus of governments in their poverty policies. Girls are often disadvantaged in education. In many developing countries, the ratio of girls enrolled in school to boys ranges from 46-79 girls to 100 boys. An example is Benin, whose ratio of girls enrolled in secondary school to boys is 46 to 100. These low numbers are the root to the unfortunate situation women are in today. Without any education, it is virtually impossible for any woman to rise economically and live an independently comfortable life. In order for women's poverty to begin a steady decline, girls education must begin a dramatic incline.
Women marched the streets, performed, sang, danced, and spoke to mark their presence in this world (see left). They demanded to be heard and seen, understood and appreciated. It is time for governments to respond. There is so much international organizations like the UN and Amnesty International can do in raising awareness, but governments are the sole implementers in being able to improve women's situations worldwide. Policies to focus on equal employment rates and opportunities, cracking down on domestic violence, ensuring education and health care are feasible through a reorganization of government funding in new gender specific programs. In order to meet the Millennium Development Goals, women's issues must be addressed seriously to alleviate poverty worldwide. Through addressing these goals, child mortality will decrease as well as the increase in orphans. The spread of AIDS can slow down, and economies can rise with a new educated working class of women. International Women's Day must not be a once-a-year reminder to women's situations but solely a celebration of progress in the advancement of women worldwide. With a more serious effort by governments in focusing on women's progress, this can be achieved.
1 comment:
Thank you for this post, as I found it both interesting and a little unnerving, considering how little I previously knew about the economic struggles of women worldwide. I suppose this speaks to the need for International Women's Day as a way to illuminate this important issue so that positive change can occur. Your post on the subject was clear and informational with all of your facts and statistics well supported by links to your sources. The post covers so much information and mentions so many organizations, in fact, that I can't help but feel that a little more depth on a select few of these might have improved your argument and the importance of the situations you discuss.
An example of this is the organization, "Women for Women." While I am familiar with Amnesty International, UNICEF, and some of the other organizations you mention, I know little about "Women for Women," and would like to know, beyond a descriptive sentence, how exactly they are trying to draw women out of poverty around the world and, "Provide them with economic sustainability." You also mention the AIDS epidemic and that decreasing female poverty will slow down its spread. While assumptions can be made, a description of the connection between poverty-stricken women and AIDS would be welcome. Regardless of these details, the post was clearly thought out and undoubtedly achieved its purpose of making the subject of women's poverty an issue of relevance to at least this reader.
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