DEFINING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
In the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, Article one includes economic
equality of women as a human right:
"The term 'discrimination against women' shall mean any
distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex
which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their
marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human
rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social,
cultural, civil or any other field."
By adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10
December 1948, the relatively small United Nations (UN) family of
56 states concretized their belief in the "equal rights of men and
women". But despite the charter's noble commitment to upholding the
inherent dignity of every human being, the UN General Assembly
noticed that women continued to lag behind men in their enjoyment
of economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights.
This realization led the United Nations in 1979, over 30 years
later, to adopt the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The UN is now a much larger family of nation states and, to
date, 185 of them have ratified CEDAW and 95 have ratified the
Optional Protocol to the Convention. The majority of world
governments have, therefore, committed themselves to respect the
spirit of the women's human rights treaty, and implement policies
that will guarantee that women can participate in ensuring
sustainable development.
Such a momentous commitment can only be fully realized when
politicians and policymakers, in both the private and the public
domains, internalize the idea that women's rights are human
rights.
Trade policies within a human rights framework
In order to effectively integrate women into mainstream trade
policies, policymakers must fully understand the economic
implications of the Convention and engage in a "constructive
dialogue" with gender experts.
Over the years CEDAW has noted that women in all countries
continue to lag behind men in important areas: political
decision-making; power-brokering in the boardrooms that control the
economic capital of societies; and access to financial resources
and the means to ensure economic independence as individuals and as
members of groups.
In developed countries, there are some remarkable examples of
women gaining a strong foothold in the economic corridors that were
once controlled by their fathers, brothers and husbands. But most
women in developing societies are still outside of the arenas in
which economic decisions and trade policies are conceived and
implemented.
In fact, CEDAW's periodic examination of states party to the
Convention reveals that there is a global trend in:
- The feminization of poverty
- The erosion of the physical and social environments that
sustained women in traditional sectors of society
- Rising incidences of gender-based violence that create fear and
personal insecurity among women and girls
- An increase in teenage pregnancies
- The feminization of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in areas such as
sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean and Latin American
regions.
Progressive trade policies must be articulated against this
background. When pursuing trading opportunities, every attempt must
be made to address the patriarchal barriers that continue to rob
women of their right to equality.
Documenting economic marginalization
In July 2008, the committee raised concerns about women's
continuing economic marginalization in a number of societies
located in different areas of the world.
In Nigeria, CEDAW was concerned about the widespread poverty
among women, particularly in rural areas and female-headed
households. They pointed out that women's poor socio-economic
conditions are among the causes of continued discrimination and
human rights violations against women. The committee recommended
that Nigeria implement gender-sensitive rural development
strategies and programmes, and ensure the full participation of
women.
In Slovakia, the CEDAW committee noted the measures taken by the
country to "eliminate gender segregation in the labour market".
However, it pointed out that traditional stereotypic roles are
still systemic barriers to women's achievement of true equality in
Slovakia. To this end, the Committee urged the government to
develop policies and programmes that would ensure the eradication
of traditional sex-role stereotypes "in the family, labour market,
the health sector, academia, politics and society at large".
In Geneva in November 2008, the committee examined the reports
of ten states party to CEDAW. Among them was Canada, a developed
economy. Despite this country's status in the global age, CEDAW
raised concerns about the number of women engaged in part-time work
and the continuing employment rate gap between men and women.
Concerns were also raised about the situation of aboriginal
women who "continue to live in impoverished conditions, with high
rates of poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, lack of access
to clean water, low school completion rates and high rates of
violence".
To end marginalization of women in the economic sphere,
policymakers should revisit the articles of the Convention.
Articles one and two clearly define what discrimination against
women includes. Article four recommends necessary temporary
measures that must be applied in any attempt to integrate women
into trade policies. Article five calls upon states to make every
effort to remove gender stereotypes rooted in traditional practices
and world view. When countries review and apply all of these
guidelines, women will be able to take their rightful place in the
world's economic sphere.
For more information go towww.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/