Posted Date: May 20, 2001
Women Leaders Reveal Emerging Gender Issues
Women Leaders Reveal Emerging Gender Issues
Monday Developments asked women leaders from development and humanitarian assistance agencies to highlight an emerging gender issue that is important — or that will be important in the next few years — and is not currently receiving much attention within the international development community.
We received some fascinating responses, with one common theme emerging loud and clear: the importance of supporting women’s leadership at every level, from grassroots leadership to leadership in international peace and conflict resolution.
Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Development
Beverlee Bruce, Program Director of the Social Science Research Council, and Mildred Robbins Leet, founder and President of Trickle-Up, stressed the lack of women’s leadership in peacemaking and conflict resolution. "The aftermath of the Cold War has spawned numerous intrastate wars in which civilians rather than combatants are targets and where women and children constitute 80% of resulting displaced populations," said Bruce, who called for women to be included in decision-making at refugee camps, as well as in peace processes. "I have yet to visit a refugee site where women have not addressed the issue of lasting peace as a prerequisite for getting on with their lives. Women’s involvement in the peace process would assure their issues and those of their children were addressed in systematic rather than ad-hoc fashion." Bruce recommended that the international development community seek out "refugee women with demonstrated leadership skills who, with training, could participate effectively in peace negotiations.
Leet also expressed concern about the absence of women from peace negotiations. Peacemaking processes have been notably unsuccessful so far," she noted. "Negotiation and mediation are special skills which mothers often possess. We have skilled people to call upon — women — but they have not been called upon yet." Leet suggested that the international development community organize a one or two day meeting with women parliamentarians, political scientists and women’s organization leaders, to raise consciousness about the absence of women in peace negotiations.
The importance of grassroots women’s leadership was another common theme. Susy Cheston, Executive Director of the Women’s Opportunity Fund, noted that there is little discussion about women and leadership in microcredit organizations, whether it’s client leadership or women’s leadership on the boards and staff of microfinance institutions. "While there are exceptions," Cheston said, "funders typically don’t ask questions that promote an increase in women’s leadership, and that’s also generally true with those of us in international development networks or US-based organizations."
Cheston pointed out that "in the microcredit world, we tend not to address other issues — we just give out credit. But a lack of credit is part of a larger system of oppression that our lending groups can address." This larger system of oppression includes national policies that provide greater benefits to the formal sector — where men tend to work - at the expense of the informal sector, where poor women tend to work. It also includes local problems, such as a "backlash" against women who are trying to progress and get ahead. "We can use tools such as microcredit and the group lending process to encourage women to organize and address poverty issues by working towards improved community services at a grassroots level, building business networks and political coalitions, and developing an understanding of their rights. We can build the capacity of women to change policy. What goes against the grain of current thinking is that we can do this while also running a financially viable lending program."
Sheri Lapatin, Program Associate at The Hunger Project emphasized women’s leadership in local democracy. "Hunger will end when women — those most affected by hunger and most responsible for its end — have a powerful voice in decision-making at every level of society, including the household," said Lapatin. "Recently the world has begun to awaken to the understanding that hunger persists because hungry people lack the opportunity they need to bring their own hunger to an end. It is crucial for NGOs to work to facilitate this process, through initiatives that draw on women’s strengths, and elicit their leadership."
Global Trade and Women
Elise Smith, a senior policy adviser at Winrock International and a co-founder and President of the Board of Women’s EDGE, pointed out the differential impact on women of global trade. "Women are primary economic actors in developing countries, yet they don’t get the resources, such as education, credit, and market access, to participate fully in trade benefits," said Smith. "Globalization has aggravated wage discrimination, job segmentation, and cultural barriers against women. The amount of investment in trade far surpasses the amount of US government assistance programs. Yet the international development community is not looking at the impact of trade on our programs." Smith recommends that the international development community push for trade policies that increase women’s access to credit, capital, education, and technology.
Smith recommended that every trade agreement have a gender assessment and that the US position on trade agreements promote these goals. "Now is an especially good time for the international development community to become involved in trade issues," said Smith, because "transparency and consultation are being looked at in international trade organizations. There is a window of opportunity to bring gender issues to the forefront."
Little Focus on Men in Women’s Reproductive Health
Adrienne Germain, President of the International Women’s Health Coalition, focused on the lack of attention given to men in the context of women’s reproductive health. "We have recognized that gender power imbalances make women especially subject to sexual abuse, violence, STDs/HIV, and unwanted pregnancy. Too little has been said or done regarding men’s obligation to respect women’s rights and practice safe sex. This is not simply a matter of using condoms, but of mutually consensual sexual relations on the basis of equality, as well as zero tolerance for any form of violence against women, such as marital rape." Germain recommended starting early in order to equalize power in relationships. "We must invest in educational activities for young people that help them understand and value gender equality and women’s rights, and develop their capacity for healthy, respectful expressions of their sexuality."
Gender and Disabilities
Susan Sygall, Executive Director of Mobility International USA, brought up an issue that is rarely discussed. "A critical gender issue is the need to fully include women with disabilities in gender-based international development work," she said. Sygall went on to point out that women with disabilities, who represent an estimated 10-20% of the world’s female population, can be a valuable resource for the international development community. "In every country, grassroots organizations of people with disabilities offer rich, untapped resources for the international development community. Women with disabilities are taking leadership to fight systemic discrimination based on both gender and disability that results in poverty, inadequate health care, lack of education, violence and abuse of disabled women and girls. It is time for the international development community to take advantage of this untapped resource."
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