define gender inequality
the unequal treatment of individuals based on gender- the idea that the sex they are means they are treated differently
how do you tell gender inequality
women suffer most however men’s rights are also important in helping development
global patterns inequality are closely related to disparities in respect for women
the global gender gap index (GGGI) is a way to visually compare these disparities
what does the GGGI measure
educational attainment subindex
economic participation and opportunity subindex
health and survival
political empowerment
at the current rate of progress, how many years will it take to reach full parity
132yrs
what are improvements in gender inequality that we still need to overcome
forced marriage (including children)
trafficking into forced labour (including sex slavery)
access to education and healthcare
employment opportunities and political participation
wage equality for similar work to men
violence against women
access to reproductive health services
where does inequality stem from
patriachial societal norms →women = domestic tasks
why is female education so important
if women get a good education, more likely to get hihger paying job (break cycle of poverty)
L->if they have a good education and job, less likely to have loads of children
wasted potential
why would there be spatial variation in employment opportunity
social norms
cultural and religous beliefs
levels of governmental support
social acceptance of women as earners
gender based job norms
discrimination by employers
structure of labour market- different sectors
define employment opportunity
women and men should have equal employment opportunities
what is India’s place in the GGGI
0.629 (135th)
what are the categories of gender inequality issues in India (and say if it is social, political or economic)
violence against women (social)
modern slavery (social)
property ownership (economic)
employment opportunity (economic)
discrimination in the workplace (social)
political participation (political)
access to healthcare (political)
access to education (political)
explain gender inequality issues in India (violence against women (social))
underpinned by social norms
UNICEF also indicates that domestic violence is tolerated by communities and to some extent by the state
there are deeply entrenched patriarchal and customary practices which are deeply entrenched patriarchal and customary practices
there have been increases in dowry killings and increases in rape and violence outside the home e.g. against women using public transport
explain gender inequality issues in India (modern slavery (social))
in 2014, 14.3million people (mostly women and girls) were subject to modern slavery in India
L→this includes trafficking for sexual exploitation, early forced marriage and forced labour
explain gender inequality issues in India (property ownership (economic))
women have very few rights in ownership of land and property and, in practice, inheritance is invariably patriarchal
explain gender inequality issues in India (employment opportunity (economic))
women have limited access to employment opportunities and are often expected to remain at home, raise children, conduct domestic chores and work in subsistence farming
L→this especially true in poor rural areas
explain gender inequality issues in India (discrimination in the workplace (social))
Discrimination in the workplace is common practice. Maternity benefits are denied by many employers and most women do not return to work after birth. In Delhi, only 25% of married women return to work after childbirth
The social conditioning is that it is their responsibility to bring up children
explain gender inequality issues in India (political participation (political))
gender inequality is perpetuated by the lack of women in goverment
women have poor representation in India’s parliament
explain gender inequality issues in India (access to healthcare (political))
gender discrimination in healthcare is closely related to cultural norms (in which women have little influence)
nearly 1/3 of all households in Bihar do not access government health services
explain gender inequality issues in India (access to education (political))
nationally, 70% of girls attend primary schools but the figure is much lower at secondary
strong oppositions from families and communities, poverty and cultural beliefs are restrictive factors
what are the concequences of these inequalities in India
a dowry however this tradition was removed from britains society in the 1800’s and despite the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), it still lives on in India
what happens if the family cannot meet the demands of the dowry
a punishment is meted out on the woman. this includes murder (poisoning, hanging ect.), disfiguration by burning and starvation
how many dowry killing per day occured in 2001 and 2016
dowry killings have supposedly risen from 19 per day in 2001 to 21 per day in 2016
what is the spread of killings and abuse across the counrty
more common in rural areas
women subject to honour killings for not agreeing to arranged marriges
separated and divorced women are stigmatized, which is the reason behind women continuing in abusive marriages either under family pressure or of their own accord
beatings and sexual violence and domestic servitude are common practice in certain areas
describe the access to reproductive health services
both maternal and infact health are at risk due to lack of education and development
similar to china, there have been selective abortions of girls in order to have a male offspring and forced sterilisations
high rates of young pregnancies
gender bias in education/access to information
early forced marriage
sexual violence
harmful tradition
child brides
causes of inequalities towards women
patriarchy, class and hierarchy influence the norms and expectations around the role of woman in India (girls are first seen as the property of her father and then her husband
girls are seen as a economic burden. in moments of unbearable financial or social distress families resort to marrying their daughters off
ignorance of age: because of illiteracy, home birthing and lack of awareness, birth dates are rarely recorded so often inaccurate. puberty is widely considered to be the onset of fertility and therefore eligibility for marriage
controlling girls and womens sexuality is an influential factor. pressure towards early marriage aims to minimise the dishonour associated with improper female sexual conduct, often leading to marriages arranged around the time of puberty
poor educational opportunities, especially in rural areas also increase girls vulnerability to child marriage
changing societal norms and strategies for gender inequality
the issues occur from deeply entrenched norms from society which has heavily favoured males. these problems are still existent but there is a slow change occuring
strengthing and increasing laws, NGO work in communities, improving education and influence of media- all efforts to reduce this inequality
there are multiple ratified treaties within india e.g international convention on civil and political rights.
the indian government have joined CEDAW (committee on elimination discrimination against women)
name some practical approaches
anti-trafficking portal- expansion of police units, specific police training, accuracy of crime reporting and a victim support programme
large companies providing child care facilities and flexable working hours
NGO interventions- International centre for research on women (ICRW) works in delhi- shortfall in policing due to rapid urbanisation resulting in high crime rates of rape and molestation in outskirts of delhi
list the strategies of global governance
change and modernise norms → trying to encourage a revolution in terms of how certain criteria are veiwed e.g women should have education not just have children
the influence of MNC’s (multinational corporations) in terms of their corporate social responsibility (CSR)
the creation and application of international laws
attempts to strengthen the law
reference to legal mechanisms such as European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court
treaties/convections established by supranational organisations such as UN, ASEAN, EU, NATO
individual UN agencies at work such as the office of high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR)
role of UN peacekeeping operations in promoting and protecting human rights
humanitarian work (military) intervention and humanitarian work
civil society → NGO’s and other organisations, who don’t work with governments, volunteer to support citizens and communities throughout the world
list violations of rights lead to conflict (these violations are either intinal causes of conflict or a contributing factor)
denial of human needs- food, housing, employment education
discrimination and denial of freedom
unrepresentative government where people are treated unequally/unjustly and excluded from decision making
oppressive governments that do not respect the needs of all groups
gemocide/torture
how can conflict violate human rights
can lead to injury/ death
education opportunities … economic opportunity
decrease in access to health care
high rates of mortality→ military and civilians
damage to home and property
damage to infrastructure
food/water supply
exploitation of women
explain with case specific detail how conflict has violated human rights (loss of infrastructure)
3million Syrian children are out of schools threatening there futures
cost to relpace the infrastructure could be £2 billion and with 2.8 million never returing to school costing economy 5.4% of GDP
explain with case specific detail how conflict has violated human rights (exploitation of women)
mass rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced marriages, force pregnancy
multiple rapes and gang rapes of young girls