Strategies to Improve Gender Equality in Development
Introduction
Gender inequality is deeply rooted in entrenched attitude, societal institutions, and markets forces: political commitment at international and national level is essential to institute policies that can trigger social change and to allocate the resources necessary to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Goal number 3 of the Millennium Development Goals {MDGs} focuses on promoting gender equality and empowerment of women. The specific target under this goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and in all levels of education not later than 2015.
The UN Millennium Project, an advisory body was commissioned by the UN secretary general proposed best strategies for meeting the millennium development goals. The task force recognized that gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to achievement of millennium Development goals.Polices and actions that fail to take gender inequality into account or fall to enable women to be actors in those policies and actions will have limited effectiveness and serious costs to societies.
The task force further recognized that the core of empowerment is in the ability of the woman to:
• Control her own destiny
• Having equal access to resources and opportunities {e.g. Land and employment}
• Having equal capabilities {e.g. Education and health}
• Ability to use the rights capabilities, resources and opportunities to make strategic choices and decisions
• Living without the fear of coercion and violence.
Gender equality is the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex in opportunities and allocation of resources or benefits in access to services. It refers to equal treatment and valuing of women and men by society. It means that both men and women have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights, equal access to control of resources and respect.
Gender equality is a goal that has been accepted by governments and international organizations. It is enshrined in
Gender inequality is deeply rooted in entrenched attitude, societal institutions, and markets forces: political commitment at international and national level is essential to institute policies that can trigger social change and to allocate the resources necessary to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Goal number 3 of the Millennium Development Goals {MDGs} focuses on promoting gender equality and empowerment of women. The specific target under this goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and in all levels of education not later than 2015.
The UN Millennium Project, an advisory body was commissioned by the UN secretary general proposed best strategies for meeting the millennium development goals. The task force recognized that gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to achievement of millennium Development goals.Polices and actions that fail to take gender inequality into account or fall to enable women to be actors in those policies and actions will have limited effectiveness and serious costs to societies.
The task force further recognized that the core of empowerment is in the ability of the woman to:
• Control her own destiny
• Having equal access to resources and opportunities {e.g. Land and employment}
• Having equal capabilities {e.g. Education and health}
• Ability to use the rights capabilities, resources and opportunities to make strategic choices and decisions
• Living without the fear of coercion and violence.
Gender equality is the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex in opportunities and allocation of resources or benefits in access to services. It refers to equal treatment and valuing of women and men by society. It means that both men and women have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights, equal access to control of resources and respect.
Gender equality is a goal that has been accepted by governments and international organizations. It is enshrined in
References: i. World Bank 2002 “The Gender Dimensions of World Bank Assistance: An Evaluation of Results”, OED; DFID 2001 “ODA/DFID Support to Health Sector Reform and Health Management: A Synthesis Study” Andrew Cassels and Julia Watson. ii. CIDA 1999 “Evaluative Review of Ghana Girl Child Education Project” by Patrick Cummins and Akosua Anyidoho; USAID 2001 “Final Evaluation Survey of the Women’s Empowerment Program” PACT, Ava Darshan Shrestha and Janardan Khatri-Chhetri; CIDA 2000a “Evaluation of Inter Pares’ Program in Peru: Final Report” NGO Division of CIDA, Catherine Gander. iii. CIDA 2000a op cit; and CIDA 2000b “Review and Monitoring Report: SWIF Project Phase I” Veronica Huddleston. iv. USAID 1999 “Evaluation of USAID/OTI’s women in transition initiative in Rwanda” Office of Transition Initiatives and the CDIE; WFP 2002 “Final Evaluation of WFP’s Commitment to Women 1996-2001, Full Evaluation Report, Final Report” Camillia Fawzi El-Solh; AusAID 2000 “Qinghai Community Development Project: Evaluation Report”. v. World Bank 2002 op cit; Sida 2002 “Mainstreaming Gender Equality: Evaluation of Sida’s Support for the Promotion of Gender Equality in Partner Countries” Sida Evaluation Report 02/01, Britha Mikkelsen, Ted Freeman, Bonnie Keller et al.; BMZ 2001 “Main Report on the Series Evaluation: Prospects of Success of Basic Education Projects (English version)”; ADB 2001 “Special Evaluation Study on Gender and Development” OED. vi. World Bank 2001 “Engendering Development: Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice” World Bank and Oxford University Press.