Monday, March 20, 2017

Empty Words or Meaningful Actions?

On Friday, March 17 the UK NGO CSW Alliance held a discussion in the Hardin Room of the Church Center for the UN on how to ensure that Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 8 ensure the economic empowerment of women and girls. UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, "No Poverty", aims to eradicate all forms of poverty everywhere, while SDG 8, "Decent Work and Economic Growth", serves to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, along with full and productive employment and decent work for all. 

One panelist spoke on the experience of older women, a group that is consistently excluded from global data and discussions despite the statistic that women over the age of 50 are 1/4 of the world's population. She reminded listeners that aging is a gendered experience. Women tend to live longer than men and, due to cultural norms and the gendered division of labor, will end up caring for multiple generations at the same time. They will take on more household and care-taking responsibilities (unpaid work) to allow the younger generation of women to enter the workforce. With the additional stresses of being disadvantaged throughout their lifetimes, poverty can hit older women especially hard. She asserted that SDG 8 must begin to measure unpaid work in order for public services and infrastructure to recognize the contributions of this group and provide support for older women and subsequently those they care for. 

The next panelist began by asking the audience "Who is civil society?" The answer: we are all civil society, and we have a responsibility to act and address human rights, women's rights, and the 2030 agenda outlined by the SDGs. We are the instruments and resources for economic empowerment and it is not only a goal, but smart economics, to serve as a critical voice for women and girls to influence the implementation of the SDGs. Civil society has played a significant role in raising awareness of gender equality and rights particularly by influencing the language used to talk about these issues. For example, they introduced "the girl child" to texts (previously, statistics of children under 18 clumped boys and girls together, failing to recognize their gendered experiences) and got the word "harmful" added before "traditional practices," making a difference in how people conceptualize the impacts of culture. 

The panel ended with an even stronger call to action. The final speaker referenced the byline of the SDGs - "Leaving No One Behind" - which promises the success of these goals and of achieving gender parity. "But I am calling for an end to empty words and a push to meaningful actions," she said. The continuous lack of disaggregated data alongside cultural practices which subordinate women have to be addressed; "Respecting culture is important, but human rights must come first." We also need to recognize that poverty starts at home. Additionally, poverty is not just economic - it is about a lack of capabilities, of empowerment and agency in an individual's life. The trivialization of issues such as enforced dress codes (a woman was recently fired for refusing to wear heels to work), the stereotyping of assertive women and girls as "bossy" or "pushy", and the low enrollment and employment of females in STEM subjects must also come to an end. In order to get to the roots of gender inequality, we need to look more closely at cultural practices and build an understanding. Only then, will we truly be able to "leave no one behind." 

Participants were then asked to break into small groups to discuss their thoughts, experiences, and questions on the panel. Some of the points brought up during the Q & A session were: 

  • It has been estimated that $39 billion would be needed to ensure safe education for all. What would that type of funding look like and how would it be monitored? 
  • Menstruation and lack of sanitary resources is a significant reason why some girls stop attending school. It is impossible to talk about gender equality in education when half of the population is not there. What are some ways to push governments to provide and support sanitation issues? 
  • What do the SDGs look like and mean in individual communities? The concept of regionalizing the CSW was brought up to better reach rural women and those who lack the funding to attend the CSW. 
    • One panelist noted that the CSW is a platform for advocacy and best practices. Perhaps the question should be how participants can bring key takeaways back home and implement them in their individual communities. 

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