Transcript Women and Power

Women and Power: For a world of equality
The Inter-American Year of Women
 Proclaimed by the OAS General Assembly (AG/RES. 2322 (XXXVIIO/07) in 2007
 Recognition of the progress made and the challenges that remain to
full equality between men and women
 Space for reflection, celebration and renewal of our commitment to
the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights in the
hemisphere
 Other milestones:
– 15th anniversary Beijing Platform for Action
– 15th anniversary Belém do Pará Convention
– 10th anniversary Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights
and Gender Equity and Equality (PIA)
– 30th anniversary of CEDAW
– 10th anniversary of Millennium Development Goals
Why an IAYW?
 We have an international and national legal framework that
guarantees equality between women and men and the rights of
women
– Recognition of progress made
– Identification of good practices, innovative approaches
 Rights are not a reality for many women – why??
– Persistent challenges – how can we respond?
– Identification of lessons learned
 Re-adjustment of our perspectives and approaches: new realities
 Re-affirmation of our commitment
Women and Power: For a world of equality
 In spite of achievements and the massive and active participation of
women at all levels, their real access to power and influence in
political and economic decision-making processes is still very
limited
 Domination and discrimination present in more and less subtle
forms of marginalization and violence that impede women’s
capacity to present and defend alternative development agendas
 New scenarios and challenges lead us to the redefinition of our
notions of “women and power.”
 Women - as advocates, heads of households, workers, community
and national leaders, political representatives, students, activists or
entrepreneurs - contribute from different perspectives to the
definition of political, economic and social agenda(s)
 Inclusion of women on the basis of their own interests and
demands is a central component of strengthening democratic
governance in the Americas
Women and political power
 Political representation – beyond simply
being present in numbers – women are
able to intervene directly in decisionmaking and policy-formulation processes
on the basis of their interests and those of
their constituents
 Women face obstacles to their effective
incidence in political and policy agendas:
– reconciliation of their political careers with
their domestic responsibilities;
– norms and culture of political institutions
and parties;
– discrimination and inequality in electoral
processes;
– limited opportunities for training in politics
and related issues
Women in ministerial
cabinets: 29%
Women in legislative bodies
in the Americas: 22.6%
Women members of
political parties: 46.5%
Women in leadership posts
in political parties: 19%
Women at the highest
levels of justice: 19%
Women elected as local
councilors in 2008: 21%
Women elected to mayoral
office in 2008: 7%
Countries in the region with
quota laws: 11
Women and economic power
 Women make a significant contribution to
the GDP of their countries, but their work
provides them with less income, job
security, employment benefits, chance at
career development or advancement and
financial security upon retirement
 Women’s unpaid labour in the household –
domestic and care work – is still not
recognized in most countries as a
contribution to GDP.
 Women entrepreneurs are less likely to be
able to access financial and other services
essential to growing their businesses and
are less likely to derive long-term and
sustainable benefits from these businesses
Women in the labour force:
40%
Women earn 77 cents for
every dollar that men earn
Women in part-time,
seasonal and unpaid work:
66%
Women among the working
poor: 60%
Women CEOs of Fortune
500 companies: 12
Female unemployment in
LAC: 10.1% (men: 6.7%)
Violence against women
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15 years after Belém do Pará, the incidence of
violence against women has changed little at the
regional level, and in some countries has increased.
Though it is rarely quantified, violence against
women carries a significant economic cost in terms
of lost productivity and increased use of health, law
enforcement and other social services
Violence against women continues to be treated as a
private matter - to be settled between couples with
the help of mediation or conciliation – rather than as
a crime and a violation of women’s right to physical
integrity and safety, and in many cases, life.
Violence against women will receive the attention it
merits when it is finally accepted as a matter of
public security and given the same consideration as
issues such as gang or drug-related violence
Women who have suffered
violence at the hands of
their partner: 1 in 4 (25%)
Women who have
experienced sexual violence
at some point in their lives: 1
in 3 (33%)
Incidents of domestic
violence that are reported to
the police: 2 of 5 (40%)
Women and girls trafficked
every year: 1,000,000
Lack of accurate data is one
of the most serious
challenges to an effective
response to VAW