International Women's Day – March 8th
Governing Justly and Democratically
Women line up to vote in national elections in Afghanistan, September 2005.
|
“There are those who say that democracy is for men alone. In fact, the opposite is true: Half a democracy is not a democracy.”
—Remarks at the American University in Cairo
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
June 20, 2005
Despite some recent progress, women around the world are still largely absent from national and local decision-making bodies. Unequal access to government forums restrains women and their potential contributions to economic and social development.
Yet women have a right to participate in decisions that affect them, their families and their communities.
In no region in the developing world do women and men have equal access to credit and other financial services, education and land and other economic assets. In far too many instances this disparity silences women’s political voices.
Maya Devi holds daughter Anjani at a meeting of “sahayoginis,” who champion women’s issues in India.
Photo: UNICEF / HQ03-0357 /Ami Vitale
|
Gender discrimination and inequalities also undermine development. A study in several African countries projects that total agricultural output could increase by about 6–20 percent if women’s skills and access to productive assets such as land and livestock were on par with men’s.
Where women have access to land, income and power, they use these resources in ways that contribute to long-lasting changes in their families, societies and political institutions.
This woman proclaims an end to gender discrimination in her Liberian village.
Photo: Edith C. Bawn / DAI
| 
Land ownership has helped to improve this Ethiopian woman’s economic standing.
|
Foreign assistance helps countries address barriers to women’s participation in formal employment, ensures women’s access to financial services such as credit and savings, improves the nature and conditions of work, and provides adequate support
when women leave the labor market.
Women own only a tiny fraction of all titled land worldwide and are frequently denied the right to inherit property. Land and housing ownership can convey to women the community status, legal remedies, and self-confidence, which are critical to reducing their vulnerability to domestic violence and HIV/AIDS infection. This newfound status can also equip women with the skill, compassion
and drive to join the ranks of political leaders who are making a positive difference in their countries.
Back to Top ^
|
