Gender and Governance
From Governancevillage WIKI
Gender is not sex. Sex is the biological distinction between women and men, whereas gender is the socially constructed distinction between being female (feminine) and male (masculine); gender defines what is expected and allowed in women and men, girls and boys. In most societies the masculine is elevated above the feminine, resulting in women and girls having fewer opportunities and advantages than men and boys. Gender equality is therefore indispensable to good governance: if gender-based discrimination limits women’s and girls’ ability and opportunity to participate as full citizens in political and social life, then decisions fail to reflect the will of all citizens and services are not responsive to the needs of all.
In 1995, 189 countries signed the Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations (UN) Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, that prioritized gender mainstreaming as a mechanism to achieve gender equality. Gender mainstreaming involves examining policies, decisions, and institutions through a gendered lens so that women and men benefit equally.[1] An integrative approach to gender mainstreaming involves prioritizing women’s concerns within existing institutions, whereas a transformative or agenda-setting approach involves addressing the gendered nature of these very institutions. Both approaches are required to attain the objectives of gender equality and to bridge the gap between legal citizenship, with all its accompanying rights and obligations, and active citizenship in terms of participation.
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[edit] Integrating women and girls in governance
Good governance requires equality between women and men in the meaning and practice of citizenship, including the right to substantive participation of women at all levels of decision-making in government and civil society. The UN Development Program has noted that “… until gender parity is reached in governance, women cannot reach full equality with men in any sphere."[2] The work of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is one example of how the goal of enhancing women’s political participation is being translated into programming. To foster women’s involvement in governance, UNIFEM is helping to bring more women into all levels of government, to train women leaders, and to equip women with the skills to actively participate in elections as candidates and voters.
[edit] A Transformative approach to gender and governance
However, if the source of women’s oppression is enmeshed in political institutions, then it is most likely to remain even if legal constraints to women’s access are removed. In other words, legal rights do not translate automatically into active citizenship rights. When underlying informal institutions, including norms and traditions, define gender in a way that contributes to unequal power relations, then simply adding women to the political process is insufficient; in addition, it is integral to address social attitudes about women.
Gender equality and governance goes beyond establishing legal parity between women and men; it is a process of addressing gender-based discrimination in both the public and the private sphere. It involves addressing issues of discrimination, and is directly linked to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted by the General Assembly of the UN in 1979 and ratified by Canada in 1981. Importantly, gender equality – universally adopted in both the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals – entails challenging not the cultural differences between women and men, girls and boys, but the relations of power that turn these differences into hierarchy.[3]
Gender equality is integral to each of the four governance pillars – freedom and democracy, human rights, rule of law, and accountable public institutions - as well as to conflict prevention and peacebuilding and to the rights of the child. Gender equality is also a key element of governance program monitoring and evaluation. The UNDP has led efforts to identify and apply Gender-Sensitive and Pro-Poor Indicators to Good Governance.
[edit] Canadian Resources on Gender and Governance
1. Rights and Democracy (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development) was created by Canada's Parliament in 1988 to encourage and support the universal values of human rights and the promotion of democratic institutions and practices around the world. It works with individuals, organizations and governments in Canada and abroad to promote the human and democratic rights defined in the UN’s International Bill of Human Rights. Rights & Democracy currently focuses on democratic development, globalization, governance and human rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, and women's human rights, with an emphasis on governance-related issues, including:
- Facilitating women’s leadership and participation in civil society;
- Ensuring women’s full contribution to peace-building processes;
- Seeking accountability for gender crimes in transitional justice systems;
- Developing women’s capacity to meet the challenges of fundamentalisms, militarism and the prevailing security agenda.
Rights & Democracy manages a number of women’s human rights projects that address these issues. The website also makes available a range of publications related to the above themes, as well as useful links.
2. South Asia Partnership (SAP) Canada serves as a forum of Canadian organizations that, with South Asian partners, work for sustainable human development in the region. It links organizations, facilitates discussion and engages Canadians on issues of development in South Asia. It also facilitates linkage, cooperation and support for SAP International, based in Sri Lanka, and for SAP national organizations and other partners in South Asia. Its page on Governance and gender in South Asia provides a set of discussion papers, presentations and reports on the challenges and advances of local governance and gender in South Asia. The Daughters of Democracy Canada-South Asia Linkage Program promotes further information exchange, dialogue, research, knowledge and coalition building on the theme of women and local government.
3. MATCH International is a Canadian women’s international organization guided by a feminist vision of sustainable development that recognizes the diverse realities of women and respects their efforts for self-determination. MATCH works in partnership with groups in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America towards the empowerment of women and the practical enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms through civil, political, economic, social and cultural justice. MATCH and its partners’ work in the South comprises programs/projects related to governance, such as support for women leaders in Senegal and capacity development programs for Togolese women to participate in local governance structures in the context of decentralization. The website also makes available
[edit] International Resources on Gender and Governance
1. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is the UN fund providing financial and technical assistance for innovative programs and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. Governance, Peace and Security is one of the fund’s six priority gender issues. It focuses on women’s political participation, a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. UNIFEM emphasizes four strategic entry points: using the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to frame new laws, building partnerships to foster women’s participation, bringing equality into post-conflict reconstruction, and pursuing gender justice. Fact sheets, publications , tools, and other resources - that can be researched by type, subject area and region – are available on UNIFEM’s website.
UNIFEM has developed a portal on Women, Peace and Security that is intended to address the lack of consolidated data on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls. This portal serves as a centralized repository of information from a wide variety of sources, with links to reports and data from the UN system, and to information and analysis from experts, academics, NGOs and media sources.
2. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) is the United Nations entity mandated at the international level to promote and undertake research and training programs to contribute to the advancement of women and gender equality worldwide. The website section entitled Gender, governance and women's political participation is a source of updated information and a space for the exchange of experiences by researchers, activists, policy makers and professionals. The section offers a brief background and analytical framework on gender and governance, as well as a glossary, fact-sheet, annotated bibliography, directory of organizations and other resources.
3. The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) web page on Women’s Empowerment offers news, reports, key documents and information on UNDP programs. A section entitled Governance and Women’s Empowerment looks at gender mainstreaming within the sector of democratic governance.
4. Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) connects, informs and mobilizes people and organizations committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. AWID works towards the full application of the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). AWID achieves its mission through four programming themes: 1) feminist movements and organizations; 2) young women and leadership; 3) gender equality and new technologies; 4) women’s rights and economic change. AWID hosts Women’s Human Rights Net, a network that provides comprehensive information and analyses on women's human rights and policy developments globally, including gender and governance.
5. OnlineWomen is managed by the Centre for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP). This site supports a network of Asia-Pacific women involved in politics, governance and transformative leadership. If offers comprehensive country features for 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including sections on women in politics. “Region in focus” contains facts and figures on women involved in politics, governance and decision-making on the regional level. The site also provides important news, statistics and links to resources on gender equality.
6. Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) is an independent centre of knowledge and expertise in the areas of international and intercultural cooperation. The aims of KIT are to contribute to sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and cultural preservation and exchange. KIT offers downloadable resources and books on many aspects of gender and governance, including gender-inclusive citizenship and participatory governance.
7. Siyanda is an on-line database of gender and development materials from around the world, as well as an interactive space where gender practitioners can share ideas, experiences and resources. A search using the key word “governance” identifies an excellent list of specialized resources.
8. The Inter-Parliamentary Union's site Democracy Through Partnership Between Men and Women provides complete data on women in National Parliaments and in regional parliamentary assemblies by country, current world and regional averages of women in national parliaments, a list of instruments of international law concerning women, and useful websites on women in politics.
[edit] References
- ↑ ECOSOC. 1997. Gender Mainstreaming: Extracts from Report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997. New York: UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs: pp.2.
- ↑ UNDP. 2000. Women's Political Participation and Good Governance: 21st Century Challenges. New York: UNDP, pp.2
- ↑ Cornwall, Andrea. 2003. "Whose Voices? Whose Choices? Reflections on Gender and Participatory Development." In, World Development, 31(8): pp. 1138.
