Women’s Rights & Global Development: A 21st-Century Perspective
Thinking About Women: The Women in the World Today
The Declaration of Human Rights and Women
The Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 defined the human rights of the individual, a concept which includes women. However, it also addressed specific rights of women and girls.
Between 1975 and 2000, the United Nations held five world conferences on the legal and social equality of women.
Poverty often has a woman’s face: around 1.5 billion people worldwide live in absolute poverty, and the majority are women.
Women in Developing Countries
Women in developing countries live in conditions far more difficult than those in developed countries. Their situation is also significantly worse than that of men in their own countries.
Women in developing countries bear the primary responsibility for children and the home, often combined with strenuous work, particularly in agriculture.
Illiteracy rates are much higher among women, hindering their access to positions of power and healthcare. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth remain a leading cause of death for young women.
It’s important to differentiate between women in rural and urban areas:
- In rural areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, women primarily dedicate themselves to housework and childcare, often alongside demanding agricultural labor.
- In urban areas, married women often carry the primary economic burden of supporting their homes, especially with the increasing rates of unemployment. Common activities include selling fruit, candy, and crafts, as well as working long hours as domestic helpers.
Countries like China, where women have historically been marginalized and considered a burden to their families, deserve special mention. Similarly, in some Muslim countries with radical interpretations of Islam, women face invisibility and confinement to their homes or behind the burka.
Some women have gained international recognition, such as Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her work on behalf of Indigenous peoples, and Aung San Suu Kii, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was unable to accept her award due to house arrest in Burma.
However, advocating for change can come at a steep price, as seen in the assassinations of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan.
Women in Developed Countries
Even in developed countries, discrimination persists against women, who make up 52% of the population.
Advertising, a reflection of society, sometimes reveals social failures in its portrayal of women.
Despite significant progress in developed countries, particularly in access to education, women still face challenges in the workplace:
- Inequality of opportunity: Women often occupy less responsible positions, under the guise of accommodating domestic burdens and family expectations.
- Unpaid domestic work: Women disproportionately shoulder the burden of unpaid domestic labor.
- Gender discrimination and sexual harassment: These remain persistent issues in the workplace.
- Unequal pay for equal work: Women are paid on average 30% less than men, and in some industrialized countries like Japan, the disparity reaches 51%.
- Higher unemployment rates: Many companies are hesitant to hire women due to concerns about maternity leave. In some regions, the situation is even more dire. In Asia, female labor force participation is half that of men, and in Arab countries, for every 100 working men, there are only 16 working women. Improvement is crucial.
Despite these challenges, women in developed countries generally hold a far better position than those in developing countries, and it’s increasingly common to find women in leadership roles in the economy, politics, and social life.
Development Aid Projects
Humanitarian aid organizations operate globally, reaching remote areas to provide development assistance.
Successful development aid requires careful planning for each project to ensure effective implementation and sustainable results.
Evaluating information provided by NGOs about their projects is crucial for understanding how to develop and maintain successful development aid initiatives.
Many NGOs focus on specific issues or localized actions, while others manage multiple aid projects concurrently in various parts of the world.
A thorough understanding of the target area’s reality is essential. Geography and history are valuable disciplines for developing effective aid projects.
NGOs employ diverse fundraising methods. Many receive substantial funding from government grants.
Instances of corruption in some major NGOs have led to stricter controls on the financial management of Spanish NGOs since 2007.
Volunteers comprise a significant portion of NGO staff, but permanent staff are necessary for complex endeavors. Recruiting local staff in the countries of operation is also essential.
Key aspects to consider in a development aid project include:
- Analyzing socio-economic and environmental data to assess key vulnerabilities.
- Understanding the operational environment, including culture, customs, and language.
- Establishing clear work strategies: defining goals and methods.
- Planning necessary financial and human resources.
- Implementing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track results and learn from experience.