The equality gap -- home and away

I’ve just received a copy of the Equal Opportunity Commission’s new publication, ‘The Gender Gap’.1 It makes for a depressing read. Take a look at the statistics:

• The average woman working full time is still paid 17% less than men — for part-time workers the difference is 38%
• Conviction rates for rape stand at 6% — so it’s not surprising that 95% of women never report an attack in the first place
• At the present rate of progress, it will take 195 years for women to be equally represented in Parliament (20% of British MPs are women, a lower proportion than in Afghanistan!) and 65 years for women to make up half of FTSE 100 directors.

As a well-educated, professional woman doing a job she loves, it would be easy enough for me to be complacent and think that any woman could get where they want if they want it enough. (‘But do they have to want it more than men?’ was the question put to me and another eight women ‘role models’, at a ‘Leadership and Networking’ lunch at a large financial firm. Only one of the eight had children: is it still the case that to get to the top of her profession a woman has to, in effect, live like a man?)

If it can be this hard to achieve equality here in the UK, how much greater the challenges are for the women WOMANKIND works with in Africa, Latin America and South Asia. Even the directors of our Afghan partner organisations have to leave the office dead on 4pm so that no one might suspect that they are doing anything other than working at their office. And the beneficiaries of the projects we support in Afghanistan have to invest enormous amounts of their time and energy in gaining permission for women and girls just to leave their homes to attend a training session.

It can be easy for women in the UK to think that the equality debate is history and that it doesn’t concern them any more. But this ignores some ongoing structural inequalities in our own country and the fact that women’s struggle for equality is only just beginning in many other parts of the world. If you want to stand alongside these women, I hope you will consider becoming a WOMANKIND supporter — there are many different ways to help and you will make a real difference to the lives of girls and women across the world.


1. Find out more about the EOC’s Gender Agenda at: www.gender-agenda.co.uk
Note. From 1 October 2007 the EOC will be replaced by the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) www.cehr.org.uk

One step forward -- two steps back?

Susana Klien is WOMANKIND’s Programme Manager for South America. A Peruvian human-rights lawyer, she has also worked with Latin American women immigrants in the UK.

Peru’s economy is on the up — but strikes are paralysing the country and the gap between rich and poor is growing. Susana Klien has just been in Lima with WOMANKIND’s partners: in her blog she describes their new concerns, their ongoing commitment to improving poor women’s lives — and their concerns for the future.

I was back in Peru for only two weeks − but what an eventful fortnight!

Peru was beaten by Argentina in the Latin American Football Cup, Machu Pichu was chosen as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World ― and a judge in Chile blocked former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s extradition to Peru.

Peru wants him tried for human-rights violations and corruption offences, but the judge decided there wasn’t enough evidence. And days of protests and a national strike by unions, teachers, and many other groups left much of the country paralysed.

The strike originated when proficiency tests for teachers were introduced, but now construction workers, farmers, miners and politicians are demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the government.

The country’s economy is growing. Yes, in cold, economic terms, Peru is a better place than before. I have seen a lot of new restaurants, shops and boutiques, many new buildings, many 4 x 4s.

But the gap between rich and poor has not been bridged. The public-education system is appalling ― and getting worse. The ‘flexibilisation’ of labour conditions means many people are being exploited and earning very little – particularly women. Many people have to have two or three jobs to survive, if they can find them. The sick can die in public hospitals because hospitals don’t have the medicines or space for them. Taxis are driven by teachers, economists, sociologists…

Women feeling the backlash

WOMANKIND’s four Peruvian partners are working in a very difficult environment. There is a real backlash against women’s rights, after a period in which community organisations and women’s organisations ― and progressive public institutions like the Women’s Department at the Ombudsman’s Office ― made significant advances.

Women started to benefit from better sexual and reproductive rights and improved practices, for example in interpreting VAW legislation and prevention of sexual violence. Peruvian women succeeded in getting a Domestic Violence law passed — and a quota law for women representatives in national congress and regional government.

Many battles were won. But right now the influence of the Catholic Church is very apparent in relation to sexual and reproductive rights: even though the law allows abortion for women whose life may be in danger, public hospitals don’t have the necessary guidance. When the main women’s hospital in Lima did develop guidelines, the Ministry of Health caved into pressure from the Church and invalidated them. Now the Ministry is holding a multi-sectoral roundtable to discuss the issue of therapeutic abortion with representatives from different government institutions and religious leaders.

And the army is still a strong power, and impunity has been the rule in relation to human-rights violations carried out by the military for more than 20 years.

WOMANKIND partners in the vanguard

But there are shafts of light — in the form of new opportunities provided by the current decentralisation of government power, giving women more chances to influence change at the local level.

WOMANKIND partners are taking the lead — building the capacities of community-based organisations and working with regional and local government to develop policies and projects taking into account communities’ needs.

Asociacion Aurora Vivar (AAV) has helped three regional governments develop equal opportunities plans, with long-term targets. Also, AAV is training Social Watch Committees. These monitor public policies so that women can hold their local/regional governments to account. Calandria (Association of Social Communicators) is WOMANKIND’s partner in San Martin. It supports women’s groups to develop specific project proposals, including one to tackle maternal mortality.

Each partner has been working to challenge violence against women and discrimination for around 20 years. They have seen changes in legislation, Presidents and Ministers come and go; experienced strikes, protests, steps forward and steps back. They have been able to do their work thanks to the commitment of extraordinary workers and volunteers ― and through their close engagement with the community.

Is the money running out?

They’ve also kept going because of the support of the international community. But something is hitting them very badly now. Not only are there attacks on women’s rights, but the funding is running out. As Peru is considered a ‘middle-income’ country with a growing economy, the international community isn’t prioritising support to Peruvian organisations.

But in the regions where WOMANKIND’s partners work, equality hasn’t been achieved, and women bear the burden of economic policies and discrimination. Furthermore, in some areas there is extreme poverty, with communities completely excluded from public policies. Huancavelica, where partner organisation DEMUS works, is the poorest city in Peru, at an altitude of 3,600 metres. People are experiencing levels of malnutrition comparable to the poorest countries in Africa. Our partners are offering crucial support to women and communities, but at the same time are struggling to survive.

At our last meeting in Lima, our partners asked me why international donors don’t see this. Why they don’t go to these places to see what is going on. Is Peru’s government going to tackle these issues if they are in a ‘Triple Alliance’ with the Catholic Church, the Army and Big Business? And I don’t have the answer … and will never have.

Why aid isn't reaching women

Guest blogger Brita Fernandez-Schmidt is WOMANKIND’s Head of Programmes and Policy. She’s just taken part in the Women in Development Europe conference — and was inspired by a groundswell of support for a global movement to challenge how donors deliver aid.

I have just spent three days with women from 40 different countries, from Uruguay to Uzbekistan and Senegal.

We talked about the Paris Declaration, the Financing for Development agreements, and the Millennium Development Goals — all international documents and agreements ultimately aimed at reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development, but unfamiliar to many, including organisations WOMANKIND works with on the ground. And that is the first problem ― if those of us working in women’s organisations don’t even know about them; we clearly have not had much input into their creation in the first place.

Let´s start with the Paris Declaration. Endorsed in 2005 by the rich countries that provide international aid, it focuses on harmonising aid (donors coming together to agree how aid is delivered), aligning it with the recipient government's agenda, ownership, effectiveness and managing for results. Sound principles we all agree with when it comes to delivering aid …so what is the problem?

Whose aid agenda?

Well, in Madrid we all agreed: the problem is that the Paris Declaration is being sold as a merely technical concept to delivering aid, when quite clearly it is highly political. Whose agendas are we aligning to, who owns the agenda, who defines effectiveness and how?

Unless we unpack and answer those questions, the Paris Declaration will not be able to fulfil any positive potential. So we need to listen to women and men on the ground. As a Nicaraguan delegate said: ‘what women want are tangible answers to their needs — employment, better health care, access to education.

And we must learn from the past. Many women in Madrid were questioning the need for a new ´development paradigm´ every seven years ― the issues haven’t changed! Women are still not being asked for their opinion, are still not setting the agenda and, as far as some of those I talked to are concerned, they believe that this is why nothing much is changing.

Making aid mechanisms work for women

So what can we do? ― the million-dollar question. We talked about getting our citizens involved, particularly those in donor countries. It is their taxes that end up as aid; they have a right to know that the money is not reaching the poorest ― and is not adequately reaching women.

I found myself thinking that we should all ask our MPs about where our money is going in terms of the development aid the government provides ― and how it is supporting women and the equality between women and men. WOMANKIND also believes that it is important to take the Paris Declaration agenda and make it work for women. Let´s talk about women´s ownership and aligning agendas to women´s needs and concerns.

And let´s remind governments of the long-standing commitments they made when they signed the Beijing Platform for Action — the most comprehensive Women and Development agenda in the last 20 years. And, that in two years’ time we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) — the principal legal instrument addressing women’s human rights and equality.

We ended the Madrid meeting fired up to return to our countries to create a global women´s movement linked to other movements critical of the current aid architecture. The next step is to formulate concrete demands that cannot be dismissed when governments revisit the aid agenda.

Beneath the surface

Sue went to Zimbabwe to see for herself how WOMANKIND’s partners are coping with rampant inflation and growing insecurity. She found them focusing on supporting women to play their part in politics — and to get equal treatment in the courts.

It's been 10 years since I was last in Zimbabwe — it’s good to be back. Back in the mid-1990s I lived in Zambia in a remote, rural village and going to Zimbabwe was a real treat — running water, electricity, restaurants and good shopping!

Things don't seem to have changed much. The city is still well cared for and people are busy, going about their daily business. But when you look below the surface you can see how much has changed. On a visit to a supermarket to buy some lunch for ourselves and some staff from one of WOMANKIND’S partner organisations, we spent the equivalent of almost half a month’s salary for a Zimbabwean teacher on two loaves of bread, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes and some crisps.

The Director of another of our partner organisations told us that she can no longer afford to buy fruit for her family. Even professionals with good jobs are growing vegetables to sell — or have a second job just to get by. Today we met a young man who had a degree in chemical engineering in the park who was selling sweets to try and bring in a bit of income.

Taking the plunge

On Friday afternoon Emily — Womankind’s Programme Manager for Southern Africa — and I drove for about an hour from Harare to join our partners WiPSU (Women in Politics Support Unit) at a new Constituency Consultative Forum.

WiPSU has set these up in the 24 constituencies now represented by a female MP. Over 50 people (33 women and 12 men) turned up at a small primary school for a two-day workshop to find out how the Zimbabwe government is organised — and why there are so few women in politics.

Over an afternoon of lectures and group work I realised how hazy I was about some of the finer points of the British government — how many women do we have in the cabinet? In the highly political context of Zimbabwe, WiPSU skilfully remains focused on its mission of increasing the number of women involved in Zimbabwean politics and supporting those who have taken the plunge across all levels of the political system.

The colonial legacy

At the downtown Harare Magistrates Court we attended a women’s ‘empowerment’ session run by our partner ZWLA (Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association). Nineteen women, some of them with babies on their backs, sat in Court 9 as a ZWLA legal intern explained what rights they had in the maintenance court they were to attend the following week.

All the women were applying for maintenance for themselves and their children from ex-husbands or boyfriends. A Clerk of Court showed them how to fill in the numerous forms which have to be submitted before attending their hearing. I was surprised that the forms were all in English — many of the women speak English poorly. Even stranger was seeing some of the antiquated phrases such as ‘I am an un/married African woman’, a hangover from British and white-Rhodesian rule.

Poorly maintained

At the same Harare Court we spent half an hour watching the previous week’s ‘empowerment’ graduates appear before the Magistrate to hear the ruling on their maintenance claims.

One case involved a young woman in her early 20s who had a 9-month-old baby by a married man who had two other children with his wife. The woman was asking for maintenance of Z$200,000 (£4 at the informal exchange rate) a month — about a pound more than her ex-boyfriend was offering. The Magistrate asked them both a number of questions in English which were then translated into Shona, although the Magistrate herself spoke Shona.

After a few minutes’ deliberation the Magistrate awarded Z£150,000 maintenance, having believed the man about his salary, shown on a payslip, and his high living expenses. Margaret, one of ZWLA’s lawyers, told me that many men forge their wage slips to show a lower salary than they actually receive in an attempt to minimise the amount of maintenance they will end up having to pay.

Humbling and inspirational

I have been with WOMANKIND Worldwide for almost three months now and am more convinced than ever about the importance of our work. I am also extremely impressed by the amount WOMANKIND is able to achieve with limited resources.

I have been privileged to meet some of WOMANKIND’s partners: Najia, the Director of the Afghan Women’s Educational Centre, spoke to us — and to many others in a succession of TV and radio interviews — about Afghan women’s struggle to fully participate in the rebuilding of their shattered country; and Asha, the Director of Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC), discussed the ongoing conflict in her home country and how she and SSWC are working to ensure women play a role in the country’s political life and peacemaking. Meeting women like Najia and Asha is humbling and inspirational and they are achieving great things, but they continue to need the practical and emotional support of organisations like WK to keep going.

In the UK I have represented WOMANKIND at a roundtable discussion chaired by Cherie Booth QC on ‘Women’s Rights in Afghanistan’, in meetings with the Foreign Office and Department for International Development, and when I gave the keynote speech at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. WOMANKIND celebrated International Women’s Day on 8 March at London’s Hooper’s Gallery with a spectacular exhibition by women photographers. The gallery generously asked us to share the Private Viewing and WOMANKIND received a percentage of the proceeds from each photograph sold at the exhibition. At all these events we stressed the need for all of us to continue to support WOMANKIND in standing alongside women around the world in their struggle for justice and equality.

Women’s rights and equality are essential if the world is to reduce poverty and enable all its citizens to choose the lives they lead. This is what WOMANKIND Worldwide and our partners are working towards. You can find out loads more about specific activities on the WOMANKIND Worldwide website. Thank you so much for your support and interest in our work.