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Welcome!

Women have ALWAYS made important contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) yet gender inequity persists.

Ingenium recognizes that addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM is a complex issue requiring multiple long-term and sustainable strategies.

With this initiative we aim to make women in STEM more visible, to promote careers for women in STEM, to highlight issues of gender inequality and to celebrate achievements and advocates. We also aim to shed light on persistent, often implicit, gender biases in order to improve women's participation, inclusion, leadership and recognition in STEM.

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Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

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Women have ALWAYS made important contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) yet gender inequity persists. Ingenium recognizes that addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM is a complex issue requiring multiple long-term and sustainable strategies.

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photos: the 19th amendment and women fighting for equality

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Photos: The 19th Amendment and women fighting for equality

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American women were granted the right to vote under the 19th Amendment in 1920. Here's a look at some moments that helped advance women's equality over the past 100 years.

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From Amelia Earhart to Beyoncé and Eva Perón to Malala, meet 100 women who defined the last century.

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Margaret Atwood on women's rights and the climate crisis

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It was not the most arresting of titles: in 1959 the African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson, who has died aged 101, completed a paper entitled Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position. Thus did she become the first woman to have a credit on a report published by the flight research division of the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).

Even more significantly, those calculations were at the basis of a crucial part of Johnson's work for the astronaut John Glenn, when, in 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. "Get the girl," the astronaut had said, refusing to fly unless Johnson, with her mastery of mathematics, had verified the computer's work on her mechanical calculating machine. "If she says they're good, then I'm ready to go." She did, and he flew.

Her contribution, wrote Margot Lee Shetterly in Hidden Figures (2016) - an authoritative account of Nasa's black female mathematicians that was made into a film of the same name - was "the defining day of Johnson's career".

The focus of the US space programme in the 1960s was the race for the moon. Johnson was involved throughout. She played a key role in Alan Shepard's 1961 Mercury mission, which put an American in space for the first time. Fifty-six years later, on the anniversary of that venture, the Katherine G Johnson Computational Research Facility was opened in Langley, Virginia. "Millions of people around the world watched Shepard's flight," said Clayton Turner, Langley's deputy director, "but what they didn't know at the time was that the calculations that got him into space and safely home were done by today's guest of honour, Katherine Johnson."

Johnson was still calculating trajectories in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first moon landing, and in 1970 when the Apollo 13 mission was aborted and nearly ended in disaster. "Everybody was concerned about them getting there," she said in 2010. "We were concerned about them getting back." She was later involved in the early years of the space shuttle, and the Earth Resources satellite.

Until recently the contribution made by Johnson and her fellow African-American colleagues to the US space programme went largely unheralded outside - and sometimes inside - Nasa. But Shetterly's book, and the ensuing film, with Taraji P Henson in a starring role as Johnson, helped change that. Johnson was one of a group of remarkable women who fought every obstacle an entrenched deeply racist society could throw at them and, eventually, they won.

It was in 1943 that Langley, then part of Nasa's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), hired its first five black female mathematicians. By 1949 Dorothy Vaughan had become the first African-American section head within the NACA, of the female-only, segregated West Area computing unit at Langley, which Johnson joined as a "computer" four years later. The West Area computers were subject to the racist Jim Crow laws, required in theory - but not always, for Johnson, in practice - to use separate offices, toilets and cafeterias from their white counterparts, until the birth of Nasa in 1958.

The youngest of four children, with an older sister and two older brothers, Katherine was born in White Sulphur Springs, a small town in Greenbrier County, 120 miles south of the West Virginian capital, Charleston. Her father, Joshua Coleman, had farmed and worked as a lumberman, and, in the 1930s, was employed at the local upmarket resort, the Greenbrier. He was also a self-taught mathematician. Her mother, Joylette, was a teacher.

Education for African-Americans in Greenbrier County ended at the age of 12. The Colemans' response was to rent a house near an African-American high school run by the West Virginia State College on the outskirts of Charleston. Katherine entered that school as a 10-year-old. During holidays she worked at the Greenbrier, where she perfected her French, aided by a Parisian chef working at the resort.

In 1933, aged 15, she graduated to the West Virginia State College, where her teachers included William Schieffelin Claytor, an outstanding African-American mathematician, who was himself the subject of sustained discrimination during his career. He tailored courses for her, and she graduated with the highest honours in maths and French in 1937, aged only 18.

She then began teaching at the Marion school in Virginia, where she met James Goble, a chemistry teacher. In 1939 she moved back to West Virginia, to a school in Morgantown, and married James. The following year, partly as a consequence of a plan by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to bring about the desegregation of the hitherto all-white West Virginia University in Morgantown, she was one of three black students, and the first black woman, to enrol on a master's course there. But then, after a single term, she became pregnant and forsook academia.

As her three daughters grew up, she returned to teaching. However, in 1952, the family, encouraged by James's brother-in-law, moved to the Virginia peninsula. There, James took a job as a painter at the Newport News naval shipyard, while Katherine, in June 1953, began work at Langley.

After two weeks Katherine was seconded to the flight research division. Within it, and working with the manoeuvre and loads branch, she was in her element. After years of pressure, in 1958 she finally won the right to attend the editorial meetings of the guidance and control branch of what was to become, on 1 October of that year, the Aerospace Mechanics Division of the NACA's successor, Nasa. She was the first woman to do so. Her designation changed, too. She was no longer a "computer", but had become a "math aide".

Her husband had died in 1956, and three years later she married James Johnson, an army and navy veteran. It was thus as Katherine Johnson that her report would be published, with the space engineer Ted Skopinski, who had said: "Katherine should finish the report. She's done most of the work anyway." She would ultimately become the author, or co-author, of 26 reports.

She retired from Nasa in 1986. In 2015 Barack Obama presented her with the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US. The following year the BBC included her in its list of the 100 most influential women worldwide. West Virginia State University inaugurated a scholarship in her honour, and she received a plethora of honorary degrees and many awards from Nasa. For half a century she was a stalwart of the choir at Carver Presbyterian church in Newport News.

Her daughter Connie died in 2010 and her second husband in 2019. She is survived by her two other daughters, Joylette and Kathy, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Katherine Johnson, mathematician and aerospace technologist, born 26 August 1918; died 24 February 2020
Topics

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It was not the most arresting of titles: in 1959 the African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson, who has died aged 101, completed a paper entitled Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position.

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Katherine Johnson, one of the trailblazing African American mathematicians whose story was told in the hit film Hidden Figures, has died, Nasa announced on Monday. She was 101.

In a statement, the US space agency said: "Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers."

Johnson worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or Naca, a segregated computing unit which became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nasa, in 1958. Inside the Naca facility in Hampton, Virginia, signs indicated which bathrooms women and African Americans could use.

Johnson first worked on airplane programs, then joined Project Mercury, the first US human space program. In 1961, she contributed trajectory analysis to Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 Mission, the first to carry an American into space.

Johnson was also known for verifying calculations by the Nasa computer that plotted John Glenn's mission into orbit, with lightning speed that led colleagues to call her a "human computer".

Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men

Katherine Johnson

In a tweet, the Nasa administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said "our Nasa family" was saddened by the death of "an American hero".

"Her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten," he said.

In the 2016 book Hidden Figures, on which the film of the same title was based, the author Margot Lee Shetterly wrote of Johnson's "eye-numbing, disorienting work" crunching numbers.

"Katherine organized herself immediately at her desk, growing phone-book-thick stacks of data sheets a number at a time, blocking out everything except the labyrinth of trajectory equations," Shetterly wrote.

On Monday, Shetterly told the Associated Press Johnson's story shone "a light on the stories of so many other people" and provided "a new way to look at black history, women's history and American history".

Johnson was born in August 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. As the small town had no schools for blacks beyond the eighth grade, her father sent her and her siblings to Institute, West Virginia, for high school. She graduated from the historically black West Virginia State College and taught at black public schools before becoming one of three black students to integrate West Virginia graduate schools in 1939.

She joined Naca in 1952 but with fellow mathematicians Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Dr Christine Darden, her story of overcoming racial and gender-based discrimination to become an integral part of Nasa's work in space exploration was largely overlooked until the release of Theodore Melfi's Oscar-nominated film in 2017. Onscreen, Johnson was portrayed by Taraji P Henson.

Among tributes on Monday, the science writer Maryam Zaringhalam posted a quote by Johnson: "Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men."

Johnson worked on the Space Shuttle program until 1986, then spent her retirement encouraging students to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

She considered her work on the Apollo moon missions to be her greatest contribution to space exploration, and in a 2008 interview told Nasa there had been little time to worry about the issues common in her era, such as misogyny and racism.

"My dad taught us, 'You are as good as anybody in this town but you're no better,'" Johnson said. "I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better."

In 2015, Barack Obama awarded Johnson the presidential medal of freedom. In November 2019, she was selected to receive to the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor presented by Congress to a civilian.

Darden, 77, is now the only living Hidden Figure.

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Katherine Johnson, Nasa mathematician portrayed in Hidden Figures, dies at 101

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Katherine Johnson, one of the trailblazing African American mathematicians whose story was told in the hit film Hidden Figures, has died, Nasa announced on Monday. She was 101. In a statement, the US space agency said: "Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers."

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Pioneering African-American Nasa mathematician Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101.

Nasa announced her death on Twitter, saying it was celebrating her life and honouring "her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers".

Ms Johnson calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for Nasa's early space missions.

She was portrayed in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures.

The film tells the story of African-American women whose maths skills helped put US astronaut John Glenn into orbit around the Earth in 1962. Ms Johnson verified the calculations made by new electronic computers before his flight.

How black women first started working for Nasa

The women who sewed the suits for the space race

New female space record for Nasa astronaut

Ms Johnson had previously calculated the trajectory for the space flight of Alan Shepard - the first American in space.

Such was her skill and reputation that Glenn had asked for her specifically and had refused to fly unless she verified the calculations. She also helped to calculate the trajectory for the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon.

Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine described Ms Johnson as "a leader from our pioneering days".

"Ms Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of colour in the universal human quest to explore space," he said in a statement.

"Her dedication and skill as a mathematician helped put humans on the Moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space that we now follow on a journey to Mars."

Ms Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Then-US President Barack Obama later cited her in his State of the Union address as an example of the country's spirit of discovery.

Who was Katherine Johnson?

Ms Johnson was born in a small town in West Virginia in 1918 and was fascinated by numbers from a young age.

"I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed...anything that could be counted, I did," she once said.

She excelled academically, graduating from high school at just 14 and from university at 18. Nasa notes that her academic achievements were particularly impressive "in an era when school for African-Americans normally stopped at eighth grade for those that could indulge in that luxury".

After working as a teacher and being a stay-at-home mum, Ms Johnson began working for Nasa's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Naca), in 1953.

There, she had the job title "computer" and was tasked with calculating trajectories for early US space missions.

During the space race between the US and the former Soviet Union, Ms Johnson and her African-American colleagues worked in separate facilities to white workers, and used different toilets and dining areas. She always said she was too busy with her work to be concerned about being treated unequally.

"My dad taught us, 'You are as good as anybody in this town, but you're no better,'" she told Nasa in 2008. "I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better."

What has the reaction been?

Nasa led tributes to Ms Johnson following her death, describing her as an "American hero" whose "pioneering legacy will never be forgotten".

Margot Lee Shetterly, who wrote Hidden Figures, said it was her "life's honor" to tell Ms Johnson's story.

"Her brilliance helped us to see and celebrate other #hiddenfigures in history. You changed the narrative... Godspeed, Katherine Johnson," she wrote on Twitter.

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also paid tribute to Ms Johnson on Twitter. "Her calculations helped put Americans in space, in orbit, and, finally, on the Moon," she wrote.

Actress Taraji P. Henson, who played Ms Johnson in Hidden Figures, thanked the mathematician for sharing her "intelligence, poise, grace and beauty with the world".

"Because of your hard work little girls EVERYWHERE can dream as big as the MOON!!! Your legacy will live on..." she wrote on Twitter.

You might be interested in watching:

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Nasa pioneer Katherine Johnson dies at 101

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Pioneering African-American Nasa mathematician Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101. Nasa announced her death on Twitter, saying it was celebrating her life and honouring "her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers". Ms Johnson calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for Nasa's early space missions.

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rihanna calls on allies to 'pull up' during powerful speech at 2020 naacp image awards - cnn

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Rihanna calls on friends and allies to 'pull up' during powerful speech at 2020 NAACP Image Awards

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Rihanna received thunderous applause following her stirring speech at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards.

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Rihanna Delivers POWERFUL Speech at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards

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Rihanna Calls for Unity in NAACP Awards Speech

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Le Padlet d'Aurelie Asquin sur Masculinity

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Le Padlet d'Aurelie Asquin sur Masculinity

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Young Men Embrace Gender Equality, but They Still Don’t Vacuum (Published 2020)

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Samira Ahmed has won her equal pay claim against the BBC in a landmark case that lawyers say could leave the broadcaster facing a bill running into the millions for similar claims by other female staff.

Ahmed, the presenter of viewer feedback programme Newswatch, claimed she was owed almost £700,000 in back pay because of the difference between her £440-an-episode rate and the £3,000 an episode Jeremy Vine received for hosting the similar Points of View programme.

An employment tribunal unanimously concluded that the BBC had failed to provide convincing evidence that the pay gap was for reasons other than gender discrimination, although the BBC continues to dispute this.

Ahmed said she was glad the case was resolved after years of dispute with the broadcaster. She said: "I love working for the BBC. No woman wants to have to take action against their own employer."

The National Union of Journalists' general secretary, Michelle Stanistreet, who backed Ahmed's case, said there were about 20 other cases involving claims of unequal pay at the BBC heading to tribunal, while another 70 cases remained unresolved.

But she said BBC executives had shown a new willingness to resolve outstanding cases after Ahmed's tribunal. Stanistreet said: "Since the hearing I met with the BBC and I pressed them to use this window of opportunity to think: 'Actually we need to put effort into resolving these outstanding cases, not putting ourselves through the self-harm of another tribunal like Samira's.' Some of them have already been satisfactorily resolved. But there are still more to sort out."

The 40-page tribunal judgment was damning of the broadcaster's argument that Ahmed's job as presenter of Newswatch was significantly different to Vine's as a presenter of Points of View.

They dismissed the BBC's argument that Points of View required a "cheeky" presenter such as Vine with a "glint in the eye", concluding that there were only "minor differences" in the work the two presenters did presenting the two comparable programmes.

In a withering assessment, they wrote: "Jeremy Vine read the script from the autocue. He read it in the tone in which it was written. If it told him to roll his eyes, he did. It did not require any particular skill or experience to do that."

The report from Judge Harjit Grewal and the panel members Mr S Godecharle and Mr P Secher concluded that under the Equality Act the BBC "has not shown that the difference in pay was because of a material factor which did not involve subjecting [Ahmed] to sex discrimination".

The judgment did not specify whether Ahmed would receive the hundreds of thousands of pounds she had claimed in backpay as a result of the discrepancy. The BBC has the option to appeal but a spokesperson said the corporation was still considering the implications. If it declines to appeal against the verdict the BBC could face an enormous legal bill, substantial costs, and potentially other large settlements with female BBC staff bringing equal pay cases.

During the tribunal the BBC defended paying Vine substantially more than Ahmed, saying that while Newswatch required a news journalist, he was a light entertainment presenter who "would often dress up for small visual gags". Ahmed's legal team argued this was incorrect, as he was only known to have worn "one wig and one hat" and the jobs were in effect the same.

The judges said: "We have difficulty in understanding what [the BBC] meant by a 'glint in the eye' and how that translated into a 'skill' or 'experience' for the job. How does one acquire such a skill or experience? In any event, the lighthearted tone and any cheekiness were achieved primarily by the script being written in a particular style. The attempts at humour came from the script."

They also dismissed the case that Vine's £3,000-an-episode fee was the market rate for such a high-profile star. "The evidence indicates the contrary: that Jeremy Vine was paid above the market rate payable for him for Points of View."

Lawyers warned that the financial implications of this case could be huge. Caroline Underhill of Thompsons Solicitors, who represented Ahmed, said: "The ball is now in the BBC's court: they need to heed the lessons from this judgment and engage in meaningful negotiations with the NUJ to ensure genuine pay transparency, and pay equality, for all employees. Today's judgment helpfully clarifies some of the fault lines in the BBC's pay structure that can - taking into account the facts of each individual case - be used to support or advance other potential claims against them."

High-profile presenters and campaigners hailed the decision and praised Ahmed, with the BBC host Carrie Gracie - who resigned over equal pay in 2018 - expressing her pride in Ahmed. "As for BBC bosses, time to stop digging," she said.

The BBC Radio 4 presenter Jane Garvey also praised Ahmed, tweeting: "Just brilliant ... it took real courage and she has it."

Polly Rodway, a partner at the law firm BDBF, said: "There is a big floodgates argument here, so the ramifications of the judgment for the BBC will be significant as lots of other claimants will now pursue the BBC and, economically, they could end up paying a lot more in light of this judgment.

"We are talking about potentially many more claimants ... I am not sure I can put a number on it but the costs could be millions."

The BBC emphasised that the verdict was based on tribunal judges failing to be convinced by the evidence put forward to justify the difference in pay on grounds other than gender. For instance, the judges were not convinced by the quality of the BBC's evidence that Vine was especially popular when he was offered £3,000 a show in 2008.

Although the corporation is still considering the verdict, the BBC does not see it as a blanket ruling affecting all news and entertainment staff, suggesting it could still fight other pay tribunal cases and it does not necessarily believe this sets a broader precedent.

Forcing open pay disclosure on the BBC has had a significant effect on rates for women, with many female staff receiving increases since figures for leading staff were first revealed in 2017.

Vine's role presenting Points of View helped the BBC with its obligation to keep his salary high, fulfilling a requirement of a broader pay deal agreed in 2008, which was designed to keep one of the broadcaster's biggest stars from jumping ship to a commercial rival.

During the tribunal the BBC played down the audience for its own rolling news channel, arguing Ahmed's programme was made for the "relatively niche" service so should not be considered in the same league as Points of View, which was on BBC One. In addition, an unredacted list of more than 100 women who had brought equal pay cases was also made public in an inadvertent data breach, prompting complaints to the information commissioner by those who did not want their names made public.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We'll need to consider this judgment carefully. We know tribunals are never a pleasant experience for anyone involved. We want to work together with Samira to move on in a positive way."
Topics

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BBC facing huge bill for equal pay cases after Samira Ahmed verdict

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Samira Ahmed has won her equal pay claim against the BBC in a landmark case that lawyers say could leave the broadcaster facing a bill running into the millions for similar claims by other female staff.

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Presenter Samira Ahmed has won the employment tribunal she brought against the BBC in a dispute over equal pay.

Ahmed claimed she was underpaid by £700,000 for hosting audience feedback show Newswatch compared with Jeremy Vine's salary for Points of View.

The unanimous judgement said her work was like that done by Vine, and the BBC had failed to prove the pay gap wasn't because of sex discrimination.

Ahmed said she was "glad it's been resolved".

"No woman wants to have to take action against their own employer," she said, adding: "I love working for the BBC."

In response, the BBC insisted the pay for Ahmed and Vine "was not determined by their gender".

How to know if you're getting equal pay

Describing Ahmed as "an excellent journalist and presenter", the corporation added: "We regret that this case ever had to go to tribunal."

The BBC said it would "work together with Samira to move on in a positive way".

Ahmed thanked the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), her legal team and "everyone - all the men and women who've supported me and the issue of equal pay". She added: "I'm now looking forward to continuing to do my job, to report on stories and not being one".

Ahmed had told the tribunal, which ended in November, that she "could not understand how pay for me, a woman, could be so much lower than Jeremy Vine, a man, for presenting very similar programmes and doing very similar work".

Vine got £3,000 per episode for BBC One's Points of View between 2008 and 2018. Ahmed was paid £440 for Newswatch, which is shown on the BBC News Channel and BBC Breakfast.

'Glint in the eye'

The tribunal judgement said: "The difference in pay in this case is striking. Jeremy Vine was paid more than six times what the claimant was paid for doing the same work as her."

The BBC had argued that Ahmed and Vine performed "very different roles". But the judgement said the corporation did not produce evidence to prove the different levels of pay were based on differences in the presenters' roles, programmes and profiles.

The judgement did not say whether Ahmed will receive the compensation she said she was owed.

The judgement stated: "We do not accept that the lighter tone of Points of View meant that the claimant's work and that of Mr Vine were not broadly similar."

It added that despite the BBC saying the presenter of Points of View "needed to have 'a glint in the eye' and to be cheeky, we had difficulty in understanding what the respondent meant and how that translated into a 'skill' or 'experience' to do a job.

"The attempts at humour came from the script. Jeremy Vine read the script from the autocue. He read it in the tone in which it was written. If it told him to roll his eyes he did. It did not require any particular skill or experience to do that."

The BBC's legal team said Ahmed was paid the same as her Newswatch predecessor Ray Snoddy, who they said was her pay comparator, rather than Vine.

But Ahmed's closing submissions criticised the corporation's witnesses and evidence.

She also said BBC witnesses were prepared to give evidence "about matters that they had little knowledge of" and that the corporation had "repeatedly sought to make other unfair comments" about her credibility.

'Huge implications'
Analysis by Amol Rajan, BBC media editor
This is a complex judgement with potentially huge implications.

The position of the Tribunal is that all the arguments brought by the BBC to justify the difference in pay between Samira Ahmed and Jeremy Vine were insufficient.

In other words, the claim that Vine had greater profile, that Entertainment requires different skills to News, and that Points of View reaches more people didn't persuade the Tribunal that the difference is pay was justified.

The burden of proof fell on the BBC to show that that difference did not amount to sex discrimination. It failed.

The BBC and broadcasters across the globe have long thought it a common sense assertion that profile, fame, or stardust - call it what you will - justifies different pay rates for presenters who do similar work.

This case has exploded that proposition. It will encourage many other women to bring similar cases.

The BBC has made significant progress in recent years on both the gender pay gap across the organisation and some cases of equal pay.

But its journey on this issue, where it has sought to set a national example, is only just beginning.

National Union of Journalists (NUJ) general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the union would seek the full back pay for Ahmed.

"We will be meeting with the BBC next week and hopefully common sense will prevail, this will be resolved, Samira gets her settlement and she can move on," she said.

It was "an incredibly brave decision on Samira's part" to bring the case to tribunal, Stanistreet told reporters. "You couldn't get a more emphatic win, a resounding victory," she said.

Around 20 similar cases are "in the pipeline of the actual tribunal system", with "as many as 70" unresolved at the time of the hearing, she added.

The BBC said it has been working hard to resolve these, adding the number of cases is significantly lower now.

"Some of them have already been satisfactorily resolved. But there are still more to sort out," she said.

Figures from broadcasting and beyond tweeted their support after the judgement was released.

Image Copyright @BBCCarrie @BBCCarrie Report

Image Copyright @BBCCarrie @BBCCarrieReport

Image Copyright @janegarvey1 @janegarvey1 Report

Image Copyright @janegarvey1 @janegarvey1Report

Image Copyright @MargaretAtwood @MargaretAtwood Report

Image Copyright @MargaretAtwood @MargaretAtwoodReport

Stressing its commitment to equality and equal pay, the BBC said presenters - both female and male - had always been paid more for Points of View than Newswatch.

The corporation said: "We're sorry the tribunal didn't think the BBC provided enough evidence about specific decisions - we weren't able to call people who made decisions as far back as 2008 and have long since left the BBC."

It added that in the past its pay framework "was not transparent and fair enough" and that "we have made significant changes to address that".

"We're glad this satisfied the tribunal that there was sufficient evidence to explain her pay now."

In addition to Newswatch, Ahmed also co-hosts BBC Radio 4 arts show Front Row.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk .

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Samira Ahmed wins BBC equal pay tribunal

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Presenter Samira Ahmed has won the employment tribunal she brought against the BBC in a dispute over equal pay. Ahmed claimed she was underpaid by £700,000 for hosting audience feedback show Newswatch compared with Jeremy Vine's salary for Points of View.

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Report: Little progress in Washington's gender pay gap

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VIDEO: Washington passes gender pay equity bill

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A series of ads, developed as a creative idea for UN Women by Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, uses genuine Google searches to reveal the widespread prevalence of sexism and discrimination against women. Based on searches dated 9 March, 2013 the ads expose negative sentiments ranging from stereotyping as well as outright denial of women's rights.

"When we came across these searches, we were shocked by how negative they were and decided we had to do something with them," says Christopher Hunt, Art Director of the creative team. The idea developed places the text of the Google searches over the mouths of women portraits, as if to silence their voices.

"The ads are shocking because they show just how far we still have to go to achieve gender equality. They are a wake up call, and we hope that the message will travel far," adds Kareem Shuhaibar, copy writer.

For UN Women, the searches confirm the urgent need to continue making the case for women's rights, empowerment and equality, a cause the organization is pursuing around the world. UN Women is heartened by the initial strong reaction to the ads and hopes they will spark constructive dialogue globally.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #womenshould
Watch "The Autocomplete Truth", a new video by Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai highlighting gains and remaining challenges for women's equality:

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UN Women ad series reveals widespread sexism

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A series of ads, developed as a creative idea for UN Women by Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, uses genuine Google searches to reveal the widespread prevalence of sexism and discrimination against women. Based on searches dated 9 March, 2013 the ads expose negative sentiments ranging from stereotyping as well as outright denial of women's rights.

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To coincide with International Women's Day 2016, ANZ via Whybin\TBWA Group Melbourne, has launched a social case study highlighting the gender pay gap in Australia by capturing the reactions of brothers and sisters doing the same chores but not receiving equal amount of money as payment.

The video series, titled Pocket Money, aims to bring the financial inequality conversation to a personal, everyday level by posing a confronting and thought-provoking question: "How would our daughters feel if we paid them less than our sons for chores around the house?"

The videos will be shared across ANZ's social media channels - facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram - with the #equalfuture hashtag from Monday 7 March 2016.

Says Louise Eyres, ANZ group general manager, marketing: "ANZ is committed to gender equality whether it be related to pay, leadership roles or recruitment, and we have introduced a number of initiatives to help create an equal future. We know we still have a long way to go, but we're committed to progress as a business.

"We are all responsible to challenge the status quo to address systems that prevent women and men from succeeding equally. This social experiment was designed to address the issue of the gender pay gap in a very emotive and thought provoking way, demonstrating its very existence in an everyday scenario that Australians can relate to.

"Whilst Australian values reflect gender equality, the principle isn't supported by the facts when it comes to the gender pay gap. The launch of an ANZ Women's report in 2015 found that complex issues, along with structural and cultural barriers, result in women facing financial disadvantage in the workplace and retirement."

The report, titled Barriers to achieving financial gender equity, identified that as of February 2015, the national gender pay gap stood at 18.8 per cent. Nationwide, men earn an average $1,380 per week, compared to $904 for women. Extended over a 40 year career, the pay gap between genders is in excess of $700,000.

For more on ANZ's commitment to helping women strengthen their financial position visit

Creative: Whybin\TBWA Group Melbourne

Executive Creative Director - Paul Reardon

Creative Director - Tara Ford

Senior Creatives - Rob Hibbert, Mark Jones, Chrissy Chrzan

Agency & Film Producer - Janine Wertheim

Editor - Tabata Picinelli

Sound - Phil Kenihan (Front of House)

Regional Group Head - Ricci Meldrum

Senior Account Director - Stephanie Luxmoore

Account Executive - Todd McLerie

Planning Director - Kees Kalk

Digital Planner - Harry Steinhart

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ANZ highlights gender pay gap in OZ in new social case study via WhybinTBWA Melbourne

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To coincide with International Women's Day 2016, ANZ via WhybinTBWA Group Melbourne, has launched a social case study highlighting the gender pay gap in Australia by capturing the reactions of brothers and sisters doing the same chores but not receiving equal amount of money as payment.The video ser

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'Why does he get more?' Video showing little girls' confused reactions to boys getting more pocket money highlights the gender pay gap on International Women's Day

A video by ANZ Bank shows children doing chores to earn pocket money

After their work, the girls receive less pocket money than their brothers

The International Women's Day video highlights the gender pay gap

Australian women earn an average $1,325.10 a week, $277.70 less than men

Women in management positions in Australia earn $100,000 less per year

See more of the latest International Women's Day 2016 news and updates

Put simply, it seems obviously unfair.

Children who did the same chores around the house were given different amounts of pocket money for their work: more if they were a boy and less if they were a girl.

A video, released by ANZ Bank for International Women's Day, shows the girls' faces fall as they realise their earnings are significantly less than their brothers'.

The simple scenario draws attention to Australia's gender pay gap by asking how our daughters would feel if they were paid less.

In Australia, a full-time working woman earns an average $1,325.10 a week, that's $277.70 less than men who earn an average $1,602.80, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

This puts the average gender pay gap at 17.3 per cent, though it can be higher or lower depending on the state, territory or occupation.

Women in top management positions in Australia earn $100,000 less per year than their male counterparts and the higher they climb the larger the pay gap, according to the Gender Equity Insights 2016: Inside Australia's Gender Pay Gap report.

Business Chicks CEO Olivia Ruello previously told Daily Mail Australia it was shocking that in 2016, Australia is still dealing with a gender pay gap.

'Equal pay is not a privilege, it's a right,' she said.

'We need greater transparency and accountability. Companies need to be transparent about what they're paying their staff. And the unconscious (and sometimes conscious) biases that favour men in hiring and promoting need to change'.

The young girls in the video thought the same.

'If I was Prime Minister, I would make it illegal,' one girl said.

One girl appears crestfallen when after all her hard work, her brother is handed a $5 note while she is given a few coins.

'Why does he get $5?' she asked, only to be told by her mother: 'that's just the way it is'.

But it was not just the girls who had a problem with the pay gap.

'Women and men should have the same money. They should have 50-50,' a young boy said after he was handed $10 and his sister $7.

'If you do the same work, you should get paid the same money,' another girl said simply.

'What we're trying to tell you is that it's not fair that boys get paid more than girls.'

At the end of the video, the young boy vowed that when he was older, he would make a change and urged more men to speak up if they realise they are being paid more.

ANZ Group General Manager and Marketing Louise Eyres said the social experiment was designed to address the issue of the gender pay gap in an emotive and thought provoking way.

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New #InternationalWomensDay video highlights gender pay gap

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A video by ANZ Bank shows children doing chores to earn pocket money After their work, the girls receive less pocket money than their brothers The International Women's Day video highlights the gender pay gap Australian women earn an average $1,325.10 a week, $277.70 less than men Women in management positions in Australia earn $100,000 less per year See more of the latest International Women's Day 2016 news and updates Put simply, it seems obviously unfair.

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Obama on masculinity: 'You don't need eight women around you twerking'

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Michael Kimmel: Why gender equality is good for everyone - men included

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Yes, we all know it's the right thing to do. But Michael Kimmel makes the surprising, funny, practical case for treating men and women equally in the workplace and at home. It's not a zero-sum game, but a win-win that will result in more opportunity and more happiness for everybody.

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Site d'Anglais de l'Académie de Grenoble

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Ketchup ad: How are women represented? In this advert, women are represented as being incompetent, largely through the remark 'You mean...

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We should all be feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TEDxEuston

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A Class That Turned Around Kids' Assumptions of Gender Roles!

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The Sustainable Development Goals aim to end poverty "in all its forms, everywhere", while leaving no one behind. This ambition is central to Fairtrade's mission.

Image courtesy of United Nations

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 - are an ambitious set of 17 overarching global goals to combat poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030. Covering topics from gender equality to climate change, and education to clean drinking water, they represent a powerful opportunity to improve the lives of the 1.3 billion small scale farmers and agricultural workers upon whom the world depends to produce our food and protect our planet.

The ambition is laudable, but there is still a long way to go to achieve many of the goals. Despite progress, more than 780 million people live below the international poverty line. Worldwide, 152 million children are still involved in child labour. And climate change threatens to reverse progress on all levels. What's more, the goals only provide a framework. It's up to governments but also businesses and civil society to take action to ensure they are achieved.

How Fairtrade contributes to the SDGs

There is a large amount of cross-over between the SDGs and Fairtrade's work. In fact, of the 169 targets underlying the goals, there is barely a single one that isn't somehow related to food and farming. This means that smallholder farmers and workers have a central role to play.

While Fairtrade has a direct and indirect impact in all 17 goals, we have prioritised the eight goals which are most closely linked to our work.

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

This goal is central to Fairtrade's mission. All of our work stems from this overarching goal, as we seek to ensure that trade enables smallholder farmers and workers to earn a decent living and have a brighter future for themselves and their families. Read more.

Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Small-scale farmers continue to provide a large percentage of the world's population with food. That means creating robust livelihoods is crucial for achieving this goal. Fairtrade enables more secure and stable incomes for small-scale farmers and supports them to build strong, resilient businesses. Read more.

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has identified that overcoming gender inequalities can reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 150 million. Fairtrade supports women to participate equally in agriculture, earn better wages and diversify their income and opportunities. Read more.

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

In line with the UN International Labour Organization and national legislation, Fairtrade promotes better working conditions, supports workers to negotiate for better pay and is striving to achieve living wages for workers on Fairtrade plantations. Our standards prohibit child and forced labour and we work with young people, their communities, producer organisations and governments to enable them to tackle the root causes themselves. Read more.

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Fairtrade is the leading ethical label worldwide. Through our campaigns and advocacy work, we bring together thousands of communities and millions of consumers worldwide to campaign for fairer trade. We are also developing markets in the South such as India, to enable the growing consumer base to make sustainable lifestyle choices. Read more.

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Small-scale farmers are already bearing the brunt of a changing climate. Fairtrade works with producer organisations and climate experts to build farmers' resilience to climate shocks and stresses and thus be better equipped to adapt to, and mitigate their own impacts on global warming. Read more.

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Fairtrade focuses on building democracy from the ground up. Producers are equal owners of Fairtrade. From deciding on how to use their Fairtrade Premium, right up to determining global Fairtrade strategy, producers (including women, men, youth, migrants and people with disabilities) have a strong voice and are empowered to demand accountability of their organizations. Read more.

Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Power imbalances in supply chains that favour companies over small-scale farmers in developing countries can be a barrier to implementing the SDGs. Fairtrade works with multiple partners - producer organizations, businesses, trade unions, civil society, governments and other multi-stakeholder bodies. Together we can support governments to build policies that enable fairer trade for all and which deliver on the SDGs' ambitious agenda. Read more.

Fairtrade is also having an impact in many of the other areas of the sustainable development goals, as so many of the SDG targets are intertwined. For example the Fairtrade Premium has been used by producers to fund schools, healthcare and clean drinking water for their members and their communities (Goals 3, 4 and 6). The Fairtrade Standards prohibit discrimination and promote equality (Goal 10). And the network of more than 2000 Fair Trade Towns worldwide contributes to more sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11).

Fairtrade is closely aligned with the SDGs and - together with farmers and workers, civil society, governments and businesses - we are working to make the ambitious goals a reality. Why not partner with us?

Additional resources

On World Day against Child Labour, we highlight the risks that the COVID-19 crisis poses to children's well-being and four ways Fairtrade is responding.

Fairtrade International pledges to further ensure gender responsiveness across their standards, underscoring their commitment to empowering women farmers and workers, and helping ...

When Agnes Chebii started working on a flower farm, she didn't see many women in management roles. Now she leads a team and chairs the farm's gender committee.

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The Sustainable Development Goals aim to end poverty "in all its forms, everywhere", while leaving no one behind. This ambition is central to Fairtrade's mission. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 - are an ambitious set of 17 overarching global goals to combat poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030.

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Quiz and Swap

Each person gets a card with a question on one side and the answer on the other (Print outs below). Everyone walks around the room, asks the nearest person the question for them to answer, and then provides the correct response. Reverse roles so the other person asks their question, and checks the correct answer. Swap cards after you have asked each other your question.
- Find a new person and repeat the process.
Throughout the game, the "game-master" will swap out used cards with new questions from the pile.

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Quiz and Swap Each person gets a card with a question on one side and the answer on the other (Print outs below). Everyone walks around the room, asks the nearest person the question for them to answer, and then provides the correct response.

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Let's Begin...

Margaret Atwood's speculative fiction masterpiece The Handmaid's Tale explores the consequences of complacency and how power can be wielded unfairly. Atwood's chilling vision of a dystopian regime has captured readers' imaginations since its publication in 1985. How does this book maintain such staying power? Naomi R. Mercer investigates.

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here "

Meet The Creators

Educator Naomi R. Mercer

Art Director Phuong Mai Nguyen

Script Editor Brendan Pelsue

Animator Phuong Mai Nguyen

Storyboard Artist Phuong Mai Nguyen

Character Designer Phuong Mai Nguyen

Composer Stephen LaRosa

Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa

Associate Producer Jessica Ruby

Content Producer Gerta Xhelo

Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal

Narrator Susan Zimmerman

See more creators

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Why should you read "The Handmaid's Tale"? - Naomi R. Mercer

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Margaret Atwood's speculative fiction masterpiece The Handmaid's Tale explores the consequences of complacency and how power can be wielded unfairly. Atwood's chilling vision of a dystopian regime has captured readers' imaginations since its publication in 1985. How does this book maintain such staying power? Naomi R. Mercer investigates.

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For regular updates about Title IX cases and news stories, see The Title IX Blog.
For a "young readers" account of Title IX's effect on sports, see Karen Blumenthal, Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law the Changed the Future of Girls in America.
For an inspiring story of Title IX activism, watch the documentary A Hero for Daisy.
And for more on Title IX's history and impact on women's sports, see ESPNW's " Nine for IX" series.

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Equality, sports, and Title IX - Erin Buzuvis and Kristine Newhall

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In 1972, U.S. Congress passed Title IX, a law which prohibited discrimination against women in schools, colleges, and universities -- including school-sponsored sports. Before this law, female athletes were few and far between, and funding was even scarcer. Erin Buzuvis and Kristine Newhall explore the significance and complexity of Title IX.

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Al-Sakkaf says, "You fear what you don't know, and you hate what you fear." This, she believes, is why it's so important for foreigners to find out more about her country. Harvard researcher Ethan Zuckerman agrees with her; learn more about the international blogging community that Zuckerman co-founded in his TED talk, "Ethan Zuckerman: Listening to global voices" at http://www.ted.com/talks/ethan_zuckerman.html.Pick a country or culture you don't know much about. Research how this country or culture is covered by foreign journalists. Compare this to accounts authored by journalists, bloggers, or others inside the country or culture. What are the similarities and differences? What did you learn about the country or culture that surprises you?A few months after Al-Sakkaf's TED talk, Yemeni activist and journalist Tawakkol Karman was named a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Karman is the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize to date.Learn more about Karman and the group she co-founded, "Women Journalists Without Chains." How did Karman get involved in activism? What sacrifices has she made? And what's happened to her in the wake of the Yemeni revolution of 2011-2012?The Nobel Peace Prize: Tawakkol Karman http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2011/karman.htmlYouTube: "SHEROES: Interview with Tawakkol Karman" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvIQi5jhrykNPR: "In Yemen, a woman leads the call for revolution" (08/15/2011) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/15/139652128/yemeni-protest-movement-darling-frustrated-by-pace-of-changeWomen Journalists Without Chains http://womenpress.org/index.php?lng=englishThe Yemen Times http://yementimes.com/Shake the Dust http://www.shakethedust.orgTED: "Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story" http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.htmlTED: "Alisa Miller shares the news about the news" http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/alisa_miller_shares_the_news_about_the_news.html

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See Yemen through my eyes - Nadia Al-Sakkaf

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As political turmoil in Yemen continues, the editor-in-chief of the Yemen Times, Nadia Al-Sakkaf, talks at TEDGlobal with host Pat Mitchell. Al-Sakkaf's independent, English-language paper is vital for sharing news -- and for sharing a new vision of Yemen and of that country's women as equal partners in work and change.

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In 2011, the United Nations established UN Women, a new UN body charged with accelerating gender equality and women's empowerment. Michelle Bachelet, the former President of Chile, heads the new entity. Research the UN's gender equality initiatives over the past several decades; begin with the overview posted at http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/women/. Explore the UN Women web site at http://www.unwomen.org/ to learn more about the new organization's focus areas and the indicators it is monitoring (in particular, see the biannual report Progress of the World's Women). Gender equality is explicitly highlighted in the third of the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, but the UN feels strongly that empowering women is "integral" to achieving all eight of the goals. What are the goals, and how is women's empowerment important to each of them? When Madeleine Albright's granddaughter was seven, she asked her mother, "So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddie being Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretary of State." Since the late '90s, three women have served as Secretary of State: Albright, Condoleeza Rice, and Hillary Clinton have been the highest-ranking women in the history of U.S. government. What are considered the most significant accomplishments of each during her tenure? How are they perceived compared to men who have held the position? Compare the careers of Clinton, Rice, and Albright. How are their professional experiences similar or different? What advice do they have for other women who aspire to be leaders in their chosen fields? Imagine a meeting with all three of these leaders. What would they say to one another? What questions would you want to ask them? National Democratic Institute http://www.ndi.org/ Pew Global Attitudes Project http://www.pewglobal.org/ Council on Foreign Relations http://www.cfr.org/ UN Women: "Progress of the World's Women" http://www.unwomen.org/resources/progress-of-the-worlds-women

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On being a woman and a diplomat - Madeleine Albright

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In a frank and funny Q&A with Pat Mitchell from the Paley Center, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy.

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History: his story?
The farther one goes back in history, the less often one comes across the names of women. Why is this? The answer is complicated and has to do with the very question of what we mean by "historical."
People have traditionally thought of history as the story of military and religious leaders reshaping political boundaries or reshaping what people believed in. These activities were often undertaken by men, though not exclusively! Read about some fascinating women leaders or some famous women in history.
One reason for this is that women of the past were often subject to limited freedoms (Did you know American women have been voting for less than 100 years?). Many, like the Suffragettes were busy fighting heroically for basic rights, even just the right to be heard, while men were engaging in the kinds of battles we often read about.
But another reason that women weren't often out conquering other lands was that they were busy doing other things. The fact is, when we talk about great women of history, we often mean those few women who did things we commonly associate, historically, with men - even the women we looked at in this film fit that profile. What does it mean to be historically relevant? Historians of the last 50 years have begun to look at history from the point of groups besides powerful men- groups like farmers, workers and women, challenging traditional historiography.
The more we understand these points of view, the better we are able to build a much more complete picture of what daily life was like for the 108 billion people we estimate have lived on earth.
But perhaps the simplest reason women's history is not written down is because they didn't write history! Prior to about two hundred years ago, women's literacy rates were low to non-existent, other than cloistered nuns. In fact, literate women were, and in some places still are, considered quite dangerous.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), written by the 18th-century British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, Wollstonecraft responds to those educational and political theorists of the 18th century who did not believe women should have an education. She argues that women ought to have an education commensurate with their position in society, claiming that women are essential to the nation because they educate its children and because they could be "companions" to their husbands, rather than mere wives. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property to be traded in marriage, Wollstonecraft maintains that they are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men.
Reading, getting an education, pursuing what we're curious about on the internet: These are things many of us take for granted. But many people do not have these privileges or rights, even still. Equality for women and for disadvantaged people around the globe is still a crucial issue. Learning about what life is like for people around the world doesn't mean you have to catch the next ship. Catch the ship of your curiosity, and see where it leads you. Educating yourself about the greater world is the best way of guaranteeing that everybody gets to participate in the conversation. Happy travels.

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The contributions of female explorers - Courtney Stephens

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During the Victorian Age, women were unlikely to become great explorers, but a few intelligent, gritty and brave women made major contributions to the study of previously little-understood territory. Courtney Stephens examines three women -- Marianne North, Mary Kingsley and Alexandra David-Néel -- who wouldn't take no for an answer (and shows why we should be grateful that they didn't).

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Identify women who are professional leaders in your own community. Invite them to a screening of Sandberg's talk and ask them to react to her observations and share their own perspectives. How would they expand upon, refine or refute Sandberg's points? What other advice would they add for women in the workplace? According to one of the studies cited by Sandberg, women are doing about twice as much house work and three times as much child care as their spouses, even when both are working full-time jobs. Explore the causes of this phenomenon and the ways in which it's being reinforced. For example, consider the following: The New York Times: The Census Bureau counts fathers as 'child care' (02/08/2012) http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/the-census-bureau-counts-fathers-as-child-care/?smid=tw-NYTMotherlode&seid=auto The Washington Post: Santorum and the bulletproof glass ceiling (01/31/2012) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/santorum-and-the-bulletproof-glass-ceiling-would-we-be-as-understanding-of-a-mom-with-an-ill-child-campaigning/2012/01/31/gIQARcMyeQ_blog.html Design and distribute a survey for couples in your own community. Ask spouses/partners to answer individually, reporting on their own domestic responsibilities and what they perceive to be the responsibilities of their partner. Analyze the results in aggregate. What does the data show, in terms of the types of responsibilities and the amount of time spent for men vs. women? How accurately does each group perceive the responsibilities of the other? How happy is each group with the status quo, and what would they like to see change? Makers: Sheryl Sandberg http://www.makers.com/sheryl-sandberg The New York Times: The $1.6 billion dollar woman, staying on message (02/04/2012) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/business/sheryl-sandberg-of-facebook-staying-on-message.html?pagewanted=all US News & World Report: Business schools hope to shatter sturdy glass ceiling (06/15/2011) http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/2011/06/15/business-schools-hope-to-shatter-sturdy-glass-ceiling Fast Company: What glass ceiling? Killer career advice from women who lead by example (03/05/2012) http://www.fastcompany.com/1822755/shattering-the-glass-ceiling-leadership-lessons-for-successful-women The United Nations: The World's Women 2010: Trends and Statistics http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/Worldswomen/WW2010pub.htm

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Why we have too few women leaders - Sheryl Sandberg

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Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite. As the COO at the helm of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg juggles the tasks of monetizing the world's largest social networking site while keeping its users happy and engaged.

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How to avoid gender stereotypes: Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jordan at TEDxZurich

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The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan.
10x10 is a feature film, Girl Rising, and a social action campaign, created and launched by an award-winning team of former ABC News journalists in association with The Documentary Group and Paul Allen's Vulcan Productions. We use the power of storytelling and the leverage of strategic partnerships to deliver a single message: educating girls in developing nations will change the world. SOLA is a people-to-people, non-profit organization dedicated to furthering educational and leadership opportunities in Afghanistan and the world for the new generation of Afghanistan, especially for women. The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative ( UNGEI) was launched in 2000 by the UN Secretary-General to assist national governments as they fulfill their responsibilities towards ensuring the right to education and gender equality for all children, girls and boys alike. UNGEI works to improve the quality and availability of girls' education in support of the gender-related Education for All goals, the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to achieve universal primary education, and MDG 3 to promote gender equality and empower women.Girls can play a crucial role in solving the most persistent development problems we face in the world today. The Girl Effect is a movement about leveraging the unique potential of adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves.Today, thousands in Iran are denied formal university education due to their religious or ideological beliefs. Watch and share the trailer of a 30-minute documentary entitled Education Under Fire telling the poignant and compelling story of the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) - the only chance for an entire minority community in Iran to receive an education.

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Dare to educate Afghan girls - Shabana Basij-Rasikh

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Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 22-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan.

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In 2011, the United Nations established UN Women, a new UN body charged with accelerating gender equality and women's empowerment. Michelle Bachelet, the former President of Chile, heads the new entity. Research the UN's gender equality initiatives over the past several decades; begin with the overview posted at http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/women/. Explore the UN Women web site at http://www.unwomen.org/ to learn more about the new organization's focus areas and the indicators it is monitoring (in particular, see the biannual report Progress of the World's Women). Gender equality is explicitly highlighted in the third of the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, but the UN feels strongly that empowering women is "integral" to achieving all eight of the goals. What are the goals, and how is women's empowerment important to each of them? When Madeleine Albright's granddaughter was seven, she asked her mother, "So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddie being Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretary of State." Since the late '90s, three women have served as Secretary of State: Albright, Condoleeza Rice, and Hillary Clinton have been the highest-ranking women in the history of U.S. government. What are considered the most significant accomplishments of each during her tenure? How are they perceived compared to men who have held the position? Compare the careers of Clinton, Rice, and Albright. How are their professional experiences similar or different? What advice do they have for other women who aspire to be leaders in their chosen fields? Imagine a meeting with all three of these leaders. What would they say to one another? What questions would you want to ask them? National Democratic Institute http://www.ndi.org/ Pew Global Attitudes Project http://www.pewglobal.org/ Council on Foreign Relations http://www.cfr.org/ UN Women: "Progress of the World's Women" http://www.unwomen.org/resources/progress-of-the-worlds-women

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On being a woman and a diplomat - Madeleine Albright

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In a frank and funny Q&A with Pat Mitchell from the Paley Center, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy.

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It seems you still have to be a wonder woman these days to climb the corporate ladder. Women make on average €8,000 a year less than men and few of them make it all the way to the top. The economic crisis has made the situation even worse. This year's International Women's Day on 8 March is dedicated to how women have been affected by the crisis. Find out more in our infographic.

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Wonderful to be a woman? It still pays more to be a man | News | European Parliament

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It seems you still have to be a wonder woman these days to climb the corporate ladder. Women make on average €8,000 a year less than men and few of them make it all the way to the top. The economic crisis has made the situation even worse.

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The research, which polled 2,000 Britons and was commissioned by the Financial Adviser School, shows the feeling of inequality is highest among women, with 89 per cent believing in the 'glass ceiling'.

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'Glass ceiling is getting thicker for women'

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The research, which polled 2,000 Britons and was commissioned by the Financial Adviser School, shows the feeling of inequality is highest among women, with 89 per cent believing in the 'glass ceiling'.

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Participate in this month's Gender Equality Quiz! All you have to do is create an account (with a valid utsc email) and write the quiz! 5 lucky winners will be drawn to win 2 free movies tickets! It's that easy! Only takes 5 minutes!

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Let's Get to Work: Accelerating gender equality for the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda

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True Gender Equality: Adrien Martinon at TEDxYouth@ISP

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8- Hillary Clinton promotes gender equality

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8- Hillary Clinton promotes gender equality

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Over the past few decades, the often tireless work of the women's movement around the world has brought positive change. There has been a growing recognition that countries cannot thrive if half the population is left out of education and work, or not included in decision-making. Laws have been introduced to recognise women's right to safety in and outside the home, equal pay in the workplace and equality under the law, and there have been attitudinal changes towards women.

The past 20 years have seen two landmark international agreements on women's rights. In September 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development, which met in Cairo, for the first time shifted the emphasis on population control from government efforts to reduce numbers through family planning, to look more broadly at women's empowerment and how their lives can be improved. It examined issues including access to decent reproductive health services, sexual health advice and support and through the elimination harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage. About 179 countries signed up to the programme of action, which contained more than 200 recommendations.

The following year, in Beijing, the Fourth World Conference on Women committed to achieving gender equality by removing the obstacles that limit women's involvement in public and private life and prevented them from an equal share in decision-making.

But with success comes the backlash, and that backlash has been increasingly evident over the past 15 years. As the UN looks to mark the 20th anniversary of the Cairo agreement this year, women's rights organisations are, more and more, having to concern themselves with fighting reactionary policies that seek to chip away at hard-won rights.

Globally, about one in three women will be beaten or raped during their lifetime, and more than 140 million women and girls are estimated to be living with the consequences of FGM. And despite numerous UN resolutions that state the importance of women's involvement in peace and reconciliation, women are still not invited to peace talks.

Women's rights groups are underfunded. Research by the Association for Women's Rights in Development (Awid) found that the average annual income of 740 organisations it surveyed in 2010 was about $20,000 (£12,000).

On Tuesday, the Guardian launched a women's rights and gender equality section to provide a specific focus on the pressing issues affecting women, girls and transgender people around the world, and the critical work being carried out by women's rights movements.

This year is gearing up to be a key time for women's rights and gender equality. The UN Commission on the Status of Women, being held in New York in March, will discuss progress against the millennium development goals and crucially look at how women feature in what comes next.

Despite loud calls for a standalone goal for gender equality to be included in any new set of targets after 2015, it is far from certain that this will be achieved. Sexual violence against women, particularly during conflict, is expected to receive global attention once again this year, with a summit hosted by the UK, and the anniversary of Cairo will be a chance for cool assessment on whether women have achieved the right to determine when, and if, they have children.

Working in partnership with Mama Cash and Awid, we want this section to offer a safe forum for debate and for sharing ideas. We want to create a global platform for discussion that amplifies the voices of women's rights advocates who are normally left out of decision-making or not heard in mainstream media.

Tell us what you think and what you would like to hear more about. Email us at development@theguardian.com

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Why 2014 is a key year for women's rights and gender equality | Liz Ford

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Over the past few decades, the often tireless work of the women's movement around the world has brought positive change. There has been a growing recognition that countries cannot thrive if half the population is left out of education and work, or not included in decision-making.

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5- Promoting gender equality - fighting poverty

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5- Promoting gender equality - fighting poverty

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GOAL 3:
PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN

Target 3.A:
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

The developing countries as a whole have achieved the target to eliminate gender disparity in primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Globally, about three quarters of working-age men participate in the labour force, compared to half of working-age women.

Women make up 41 per cent of paid workers outside of agriculture, an increase from 35 per cent in 1990.

The average proportion of women in parliament has nearly doubled over the past 20 years.

Women continue to experience significant gaps in terms of poverty, labour market and wages, as well as participation in private and public decision-making.

Featured story

MDG 3 Infographic

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Women's Empowerment/ Nepal: Women Weavers Launch Businesses

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united nations millennium development goals

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United Nations Millennium Development Goals

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The developing countries as a whole have achieved the target to eliminate gender disparity in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Globally, about three quarters of working-age men participate in the labour force, compared to half of working-age women. Women make up 41 per cent of paid workers outside of agriculture, an increase from 35 per cent in 1990.

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4- Gender equality - the Council of Europe

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4- Gender equality - the Council of Europe

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Gender equality is an important policy goal of the Council of Europe. Priority areas of intervention are defined by the Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 and working methods include intergovernmental work, cooperation projects and gender mainstreaming.

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The genderequality.ie website, which this website replaces, was originally developed with support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007-2013), implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields. The gender equality operation was co-funded by the Irish Government as part of the European Social Fund Programme for Employability Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

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The genderequality.ie website, which this website replaces, was originally developed with support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007-2013), implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields.

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3- Gender equality- a cornerstone of development

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3- Gender equality- a cornerstone of development

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Empowering women and girls

Despite many international agreements affirming their human rights, women and girls are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They have less access to property ownership, credit, training and employment. They are far less likely than men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic abuse and other forms of violence.

Gender equality will be achieved only when women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. This means sharing equally in the distribution of power and influence, and having equal opportunities for financial independence, education and realizing their personal ambitions.

Gender equality demands the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. When women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often have a ripple effect on future generations.

Gender equality benefits not only women, but their families and communities as well. A Hmong woman in the village of Sin Chai, Viet Nam. ©UN Photo/Kibae Park

Taking action

The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically determined. They are socially determined, changing and changeable. And while they may be justified as being required by culture or religion, these roles vary widely by locality and evolve over time. Efforts to promote women's empowerment should ensure cultural considerations are respected while women's and girls' rights are upheld.

Effectively promoting gender equality also requires recognizing that women are diverse in the roles they play, as well as in age, social status, ability, geographic location and educational attainment. The fabric of their lives and the choices available to them vary widely.

UNFPA aims to respond to the needs of the most marginalized and vulnerable - including adolescent girls, people living with disabilities, indigenous peoples, migrants, women refugees, female heads of households and those living in extreme poverty. In 2017, UNFPA supported gender equality-related legislation, policy reform and development in countries around the world.

One critical, and often overlooked, requirement for promoting gender equality is the collection of sex- and age-disaggregated data, which helps reveal where progress has taken place and where it is flagging. UNFPA works with countries to build capacity for data gathering and analysis.

Key issues

Experience has shown that addressing gender equality and women's empowerment requires strategic interventions at all levels of programming and policy-making. Key issues include:

Reproductive health: The ability of women to control their own fertility is fundamental to women's empowerment and equality. When a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life. Protecting and promoting her reproductive rights - including the right to decide the number, timing and spacing of her children - is essential to ensuring her freedom to participate more fully and equally in society.

In addition, for both physiological and social reasons, women are more vulnerable than men to reproductive health problems. Collectively, complications of pregnancy or childbirth are the number two killer of women of reproductive age. Failure to provide information, services and conditions to help women protect their reproductive health constitutes gender-based discrimination and is a violation of women's rights to health and life.

Economic empowerment: Six out of 10 of the world's poorest people are women. Economic disparities persist partly because much of the unpaid work within families and communities falls on the shoulders of women, and because women continue to face discrimination in the economic sphere.

Educational empowerment: About two thirds of the world's illiterate adults are women. Lack of an education severely restricts a woman's access to information and opportunities. Conversely, increasing women's and girls' educational attainment benefits both individuals and future generations. Higher levels of women's education are strongly associated with lower infant mortality and lower fertility, as well as better outcomes for their children.

Political empowerment: Gender equality cannot be achieved without the backing and enforcement of institutions. But too many social and legal institutions still do not guarantee women equality in basic legal and human rights, in access to or control of resources, in employment or earnings, or in social or political participation. And men continue to occupy most positions of political and legal authority; globally, only 24 per cent of parliamentarians are women. Laws against domestic violence are often not enforced on behalf of women.
Last updated 10 May 2018.

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Gender equality is a human right. Women are entitled to live with dignity and with freedom from want and from fear. Gender equality is also a precondition for advancing development and reducing poverty: Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities, and they improve prospects for the next generation.

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Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

Gender equality is the goal, while gender neutrality and gender equity are practices and ways of thinking that help in achieving the goal. Gender parity, which is used to measure gender balance in a given situation, can aid in achieving gender equality but is not the goal in and of itself. Gender equality is more than equal representation, it is strongly tied to women's rights, and often requires policy changes. As of 2017, the global movement for gender equality has not incorporated the proposition of genders besides women and men, or gender identities outside of the gender binary.

On a global scale, achieving gender equality also requires eliminating harmful practices against women and girls, including sex trafficking, femicide, wartime sexual violence, gender wage gap, and other oppression tactics. UNFPA stated that, "despite many international agreements affirming their human rights, women are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They have less access to property ownership, credit, training and employment. They are far less likely than men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic violence."

As of 2017, gender equality is the fifth of seventeen sustainable development goals ( SDG 5) of the United Nations. Gender inequality is measured annually by the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Reports.

Christine de Pizan, an early advocate for gender equality, states in her 1405 book The Book of the City of Ladies that the oppression of women is founded on irrational prejudice, pointing out numerous advances in society probably created by women.

The Shakers, an evangelical group, which practiced segregation of the sexes and strict celibacy, were early practitioners of gender equality. They branched off from a Quaker community in the north-west of England before emigrating to America in 1774. In America, the head of the Shakers' central ministry in 1788, Joseph Meacham, had a revelation that the sexes should be equal. He then brought Lucy Wright into the ministry as his female counterpart, and together they restructured the society to balance the rights of the sexes. Meacham and Wright established leadership teams where each elder, who dealt with the men's spiritual welfare, was partnered with an eldress, who did the same for women. Each deacon was partnered with a deaconess. Men had oversight of men; women had oversight of women. Women lived with women; men lived with men. In Shaker society, a woman did not have to be controlled or owned by any man. After Meacham's death in 1796, Wright became the head of the Shaker ministry until her death in 1821.

Shakers maintained the same pattern of gender-balanced leadership for more than 200 years. They also promoted equality by working together with other women's rights advocates. In 1859, Shaker Elder Frederick Evans stated their beliefs forcefully, writing that Shakers were "the first to disenthrall woman from the condition of vassalage to which all other religious systems (more or less) consign her, and to secure to her those just and equal rights with man that, by her similarity to him in organization and faculties, both God and nature would seem to demand". Evans and his counterpart, Eldress Antoinette Doolittle, joined women's rights advocates on speakers' platforms throughout the northeastern U.S. in the 1870s. A visitor to the Shakers wrote in 1875:

Each sex works in its own appropriate sphere of action, there being a proper subordination, deference and respect of the female to the male in his order, and of the male to the female in her order [emphasis added], so that in any of these communities the zealous advocates of "women's rights" may here find a practical realization of their ideal.

The Shakers were more than a radical religious sect on the fringes of American society; they put equality of the sexes into practice. It has been argued that they demonstrated that gender equality was achievable and how to achieve it.

In wider society, the movement towards gender equality began with the suffrage movement in Western cultures in the late-19th century, which sought to allow women to vote and hold elected office. This period also witnessed significant changes to women's property rights, particularly in relation to their marital status. (See for example, Married Women's Property Act 1882.)

Post-war era

Since World War II, the women's liberation movement and feminism have created a general movement towards recognition of women's rights. The United Nations and other international agencies have adopted several conventions which promote gender equality. These conventions have not been uniformly adopted by all countries, and include:

The Convention against Discrimination in Education was adopted in 1960, and came into force in 1962 and 1968.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. It has been described as an international bill of rights for women, which came into force on 3 September 1981.

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, a human rights declaration adopted by consensus at the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993 in Vienna, Austria. Women's rights are addressed at para 18.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993.

In 1994, the twenty-year Cairo Programme of Action was adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. This non binding programme-of-action asserted that governments have a responsibility to meet individuals' reproductive needs, rather than demographic targets. As such, it called for family planning, reproductive rights services, and strategies to promote gender equality and stop violence against women.

Also in 1994, in the Americas, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Belém do Pará Convention, called for the end of violence and discrimination against women.

At the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN adopted the Beijing Declaration on 15 September 1995 - a resolution adopted to promulgate a set of principles concerning gender equality.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSRC 1325), which was adopted on 31 October 2000, deals with the rights and protection of women and girls during and after armed conflicts.

The Maputo Protocol guarantees comprehensive rights to women, including the right to take part in the political process, to social and political equality with men, to control their reproductive health, and an end to female genital mutilation. It was adopted by the African Union in the form of a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and came into force in 2005.

The EU directive Directive 2002/73/EC - equal treatment of 23 September 2002 amending Council Directive 76/207/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions states that: "Harassment and sexual harassment within the meaning of this Directive shall be deemed to be discrimination on the grounds of sex and therefore prohibited."

The Council of Europe's Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the first legally binding instrument in Europe in the field of violence against women, came into force in 2014.

The Council of Europe's Gender Equality Strategy 2014-2017, which has five strategic objectives:

Such legislation and affirmative action policies have been critical to bringing changes in societal attitudes. A 2015 Pew Research Center survey of citizens in 38 countries found that majorities in 37 of those 38 countries said that gender equality is at least "somewhat important," and a global median of 65% believe it is "very important" that women have the same rights as men. Most occupations are now equally available to men and women, in many countries.

Similarly, men are increasingly working in occupations which in previous generations had been considered women's work, such as nursing, cleaning and child care. In domestic situations, the role of Parenting or child rearing is more commonly shared or not as widely considered to be an exclusively female role, so that women may be free to pursue a career after childbirth. For further information, see Shared earning/shared parenting marriage.

Another manifestation of the change in social attitudes is the non-automatic taking by a woman of her husband's surname on marriage.

A highly contentious issue relating to gender equality is the role of women in religiously orientated societies. Some Christians or Muslims believe in Complementarianism, a view that holds that men and women have different but complementing roles. This view may be in opposition to the views and goals of gender equality.

In addition, there are also non-Western countries of low religiosity where the contention surrounding gender equality remains. In China, a cultural preference for a male child has resulted in a shortfall of women in the population. The feminist movement in Japan has made many strides which resulted in the Gender Equality Bureau, but Japan still remains low in gender equality compared to other industrialized nations.

The notion of gender equality, and of its degree of achievement in a certain country, is very complex because there are countries that have a history of a high level of gender equality in certain areas of life but not in other areas. Indeed, there is a need for caution when categorizing countries by the level of gender equality that they have achieved. According to Mala Htun and S. Laurel Weldon "gender policy is not one issue but many" and:

When Costa Rica has a better maternity leave than the United States, and Latin American countries are quicker to adopt policies addressing violence against women than the Nordic countries, one at least ought to consider the possibility that fresh ways of grouping states would further the study of gender politics.

Not all beliefs relating to gender equality have been popularly adopted. For example, topfreedom, the right to be bare breasted in public, frequently applies only to males and has remained a marginal issue. Breastfeeding in public is now more commonly tolerated, especially in semi-private places such as restaurants.

United Nations

It is the vision that men and women should be treated equally in social, economic and all other aspects of society, and to not be discriminated against on the basis of their gender. Gender equality is one of the objectives of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. World bodies have defined gender equality in terms of human rights, especially women's rights, and economic development. The United Nation's Millennium Development Goals Report states that their goal is to "achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women". Despite economic struggles in developing countries, the United Nations is still trying to promote gender equality, as well as help create a sustainable living environment is all its nations. Their goals also include giving women who work certain full-time jobs equal pay to the men with the same job.

Gender biases

There has been criticism from some feminists towards the political discourse and policies employed in order to achieve the above items of "progress" in gender equality, with critics arguing that these gender equality strategies are superficial, in that they do not seek to challenge social structures of male domination, and only aim at improving the situation of women within the societal framework of subordination of women to men, and that official public policies (such as state policies or international bodies policies) are questionable, as they are applied in a patriarchal context, and are directly or indirectly controlled by agents of a system which is for the most part male. One of the criticisms of the gender equality policies, in particular, those of the European Union, is that they disproportionately focus on policies integrating women in public life, but do not seek to genuinely address the deep private sphere oppression.

A further criticism is that a focus on the situation of women in non-Western countries, while often ignoring the issues that exist in the West, is a form of imperialism and of reinforcing Western moral superiority; and a way of "othering" of domestic violence, by presenting it as something specific to outsiders - the "violent others" - and not to the allegedly progressive Western cultures. These critics point out that women in Western countries often face similar problems, such as domestic violence and rape, as in other parts of the world. They also cite the fact that women faced de jure legal discrimination until just a few decades ago; for instance, in some Western countries such as Switzerland, Greece, Spain, and France, women obtained equal rights in family law in the 1980s. Another criticism is that there is a selective public discourse with regard to different types of oppression of women, with some forms of violence such as honor killings (most common in certain geographic regions such as parts of Asia and North Africa) being frequently the object of public debate, while other forms of violence, such as the lenient punishment for crimes of passion across Latin America, do not receive the same attention in the West. It is also argued that the criticism of particular laws of many developing countries ignores the influence of colonialism on those legal systems. There has been controversy surrounding the concepts of Westernization and Europeanisation, due to their reminder of past colonialism, and also due to the fact that some Western countries, such as Switzerland, have been themselves been very slow to give women legal rights. There have also been objections to the way Western media presents women from various cultures creating stereotypes, such as that of 'submissive' Asian or Eastern European women, a stereotype closely connected to the mail order brides industry. Such stereotypes are often blatantly untrue: for instance women in many Eastern European countries occupy a high professional status. Feminists in many developing countries have been strongly opposed to the idea that women in those countries need to be 'saved' by the West. There are questions on how exactly should gender equality be measured, and whether the West is indeed "best" at it: a study in 2010 found that among the top 20 countries on female graduates in the science fields at university level most countries were countries that were considered internationally to score very low on the position of women's rights, with the top 3 being Iran, Saudi Arabia and Oman, and only 5 European countries made it to that top: Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Georgia and Greece.

Controversy regarding Western cultural influence in the world is not new; in the late 1940s, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was being drafted, the American Anthropological Association warned that the document would be defining universal rights from a Western perspective which could be detrimental to non-Western countries, and further argued that the West's history of colonialism and forceful interference with other societies made them a problematic moral representative for universal global standards.

There has been criticism that international law, international courts, and universal gender neutral concepts of human rights are at best silent on many of the issues important to women and at worst male centered; considering the male person to be the default. Excessive gender neutrality can worsen the situation of women, because the law assumes women are in the same position as men, ignoring the biological fact that in the process of reproduction and pregnancy there is no 'equality', and that apart from physical differences there are socially constructed limitations which assign a socially and culturally inferior position to women - a situation which requires a specific approach to women's rights, not merely a gender neutral one. In a 1975 interview, Simone de Beauvoir talked about the negative reactions towards women's rights from the left that was supposed to be progressive and support social change, and also expressed skepticism about mainstream international organizations.

Efforts to fight inequality

In 2010, the European Union opened the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) in Vilnius, Lithuania to promote gender equality and to fight sex discrimination. In 2015 the EU published the Gender Action Plan 2016-2020.

Gender equality is part of the national curriculum in Great Britain and many other European countries. By presidential decree, the Republic of Kazakhstan created a Strategy for Gender Equality 2006-2016 to chart the subsequent decade of gender equality efforts. Personal, Social and Health Education, religious studies and Language acquisition curricula tend to address gender equality issues as a very serious topic for discussion and analysis of its effect in society.

A large and growing body of research has shown how gender inequality undermines health and development. To overcome gender inequality the United Nations Population Fund states that, "Women's empowerment and gender equality requires strategic interventions at all levels of programming and policy-making. These levels include reproductive health, economic empowerment, educational empowerment and political empowerment."

UNFPA says that "research has also demonstrated how working with men and boys as well as women and girls to promote gender equality contributes to achieving health and development outcomes."

Health and safety

The effect of gender inequality on health

Social constructs of gender (that is, cultural ideals of socially acceptable masculinity and femininity) often have a negative effect on health. The World Health Organization cites the example of women not being allowed to travel alone outside the home (to go to the hospital), and women being prevented by cultural norms to ask their husbands to use a condom, in cultures which simultaneously encourage male promiscuity, as social norms that harm women's health. Teenage boys suffering accidents due to social expectations of impressing their peers through risk taking, and men dying at much higher rate from lung cancer due to smoking, in cultures which link smoking to masculinity, are cited by the WHO as examples of gender norms negatively affecting men's health. The World Health Organization has also stated that there is a strong connection between gender socialization and transmission and lack of adequate management of HIV/AIDS.

Certain cultural practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), negatively affect women's health. Female genital mutilation is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. It is rooted in inequality between the sexes, and constitutes a form of discrimination against women. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and among immigrant communities from countries in which FGM is common. UNICEF estimated in 2016 that 200 million women have undergone the procedure.

According to the World Health Organization, gender equality can improve men's health. The study shows that traditional notions of masculinity have a big impact on men's health. Among European men, non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes, account for the vast majority of deaths of men aged 30-59 in Europe which are often linked to unhealthy diets, stress, substance abuse, and other habits, which the report connects to behaviors often stereotypically seen as masculine behaviors like heavy drinking and smoking. Traditional gender stereotypes that keep men in the role of breadwinner and systematic discrimination preventing women from equally contributing to their households and participating in the workforce can put additional stress on men, increasing their risk of health issues and men bolstered by cultural norms, tend to take more risks and engage in interpersonal violence more often than women, which could result in fatal injuries.

Violence against women

Violence against women (VAW) is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women, or as a result of patriarchal gender constructs. Violence and mistreatment of women in marriage has come to international attention during the past decades. This includes both violence committed inside marriage ( domestic violence) as well as violence related to marriage customs and traditions (such as dowry, bride price, forced marriage and child marriage).

In some parts of the world, various forms of violence against women are tolerated and accepted as parts of everyday life.

In some cultures, acts of violence against women are seen as crimes against the male 'owners' of the woman, such as husband, father or male relatives, rather the woman herself. This leads to practices where men inflict violence upon women in order to get revenge on male members of the women's family. Such practices include payback rape, a form of rape specific to certain cultures, particularly the Pacific Islands, which consists of the rape of a female, usually by a group of several males, as revenge for acts committed by members of her family, such as her father or brothers, with the rape being meant to humiliate the father or brothers, as punishment for their prior behavior towards the perpetrators.

Richard A. Posner writes that "Traditionally, rape was the offense of depriving a father or husband of a valuable asset - his wife's chastity or his daughter's virginity". Historically, rape was seen in many cultures (and is still seen today in some societies) as a crime against the honor of the family, rather than against the self-determination of the woman. As a result, victims of rape may face violence, in extreme cases even honor killings, at the hands of their family members. Catharine MacKinnon argues that in male dominated societies, sexual intercourse is imposed on women in a coercive and unequal way, creating a continuum of victimization, where women have few positive sexual experiences. Socialization within rigid gender constructs often creates an environment where sexual violence is common. One of the challenges of dealing with sexual violence is that in many societies women are perceived as being readily available for sex, and men are seen as entitled to their bodies, until and unless women object.

Types of VAW

Violence against women may be classified according to different approaches.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a typology of violence against women based on their cultural life cycles.

Pre-birth

Sex-selective abortion; effects of battering during pregnancy on birth outcomes

Infancy

Female infanticide; physical, sexual and psychological abuse

Girlhood

Child marriage; female genital mutilation; physical, sexual and psychological abuse; incest; child prostitution and pornography

Adolescence and adulthood

Dating and courtship violence (e.g. acid throwing and date rape); economically coerced sex (e.g. school girls having sex with "sugar daddies" in return for school fees); incest; sexual abuse in the workplace; rape; sexual harassment; forced prostitution and pornography; trafficking in women; partner violence; marital rape; dowry abuse and murders; partner homicide; psychological abuse; abuse of women with disabilities; forced pregnancy

Elderly

Forced "suicide" or homicide of widows for economic reasons; sexual, physical and psychological abuse

Significant progress towards the protection of women from violence has been made on international level as a product of collective effort of lobbying by many women's rights movements; international organizations to civil society groups. As a result, worldwide governments and international as well as civil society organizations actively work to combat violence against women through a variety of programs. Among the major achievements of the women's rights movements against violence on girls and women, the landmark accomplishments are the " Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women" that implies "political will towards addressing VAW " and the legal binding agreement, "the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women ( CEDAW)". In addition, the UN General Assembly resolution also designated 25 November as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

A typology similar to the WHO's from an article on violence against women published in the academic journal shows the different types of violence perpetrated against women according to what time period in a women's life the violence takes place. However, it also classifies the types of violence according to the perpetrator. One important point to note is that more of the types of violence inflicted on women are perpetrated by someone the woman knows, either a family member or intimate partner, rather than a stranger.

Council of Europe's nine forms of violence:

'Violence within the family or domestic violence'

'Rape and sexual violence'

'Sexual harassment'

'Violence in institutional environments'

'Female genital mutilation'

'Forced marriages'

'Violence in conflict and post-conflict situations'

'Killings in the name of honour'

'Failure to respect freedom of choice with regard to reproduction'

Violence against trans women

In 2009, United States data showed that transgender people are likely to experience a broad range of violence in the entirety of their lifetime. Violence against trans women in Puerto Rico started to make headlines after being treated as "An Invisible Problem" decades before. It was reported at the 58th Convention of the Puerto Rican Association that many transgender women face institutional, emotional, and structural obstacles. Most trans women don't have access to health care for STD prevention and are not educated on violence prevention, mental health, and social services that could benefit them.

Trans women in the United States have encountered the subject of anti-trans stigma, which includes criminalization, dehumanization, and violence against those who identify as transgender. From a societal stand point, a trans person can be victim to the stigma due to lack of family support, issues with health care and social services, police brutality, discrimination in the work place, cultural marginalisation, poverty, sexual assault, assault, bullying, and mental trauma. The Human Rights Campaign tracked over 128 cases[clarification needed ] that ended in fatality against transgender people in the US from 2013 to 2018, of which eighty percent included a trans woman of color. In the US, high rates of Intimate Partner violence impact trans women differently because they are facing discrimination from police and health providers, and alienation from family. In 2018, it was reported that 77 percent of transgender people who were linked to sex work and 72 percent of transgender people who were homeless, were victims of intimate partner violence.

Reproductive and sexual health and rights

Maternal mortality is a major problem in many parts of the world. UNFPA states that countries have an obligation to protect women's right to health, but many countries do not do that. Maternal mortality is considered today not just an issue of development but also an issue of human rights.

The right to reproductive and sexual autonomy is denied to women in many parts of the world, through practices such as forced sterilization, forced/coerced sexual partnering (e.g. forced marriage, child marriage), criminalization of consensual sexual acts (such as sex outside marriage), lack of criminalization of marital rape, violence in regard to the choice of partner ( honor killings as punishment for 'inappropriate' relations). The sexual health of women is often poor in societies where a woman's right to control her sexuality is not recognized.

Adolescent girls have the highest risk of sexual coercion, sexual ill health, and negative reproductive outcomes. The risks they face are higher than those of boys and men; this increased risk is partly due to gender inequity (different socialization of boys and girls, gender based violence, child marriage) and partly due to biological factors.

Family planning and abortion

Family planning is the practice of freely deciding the number of children one has and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of contraception or voluntary sterilization. Abortion is the induced termination of pregnancy. Abortion laws vary significantly by country. The availability of contraception, sterilization and abortion is dependent on laws, as well as social, cultural and religious norms. Some countries have liberal laws regarding these issues, but in practice it is very difficult to access such services due to doctors, pharmacists and other social and medical workers being conscientious objectors. Family planning is particularly important from a women's rights perspective, as having very many pregnancies, especially in areas where malnutrition is present, can seriously endanger women's health. UNFA writes that "Family planning is central to gender equality and women's empowerment, and it is a key factor in reducing poverty".

Family planning is often opposed by governments who have strong natalist policies. During the 20th century, such examples have included the aggressive natalist policies from communist Romania and communist Albania. State mandated forced marriage was also practiced by some authoritarian governments as a way to meet population targets: the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia systematically forced people into marriages, in order to increase the population and continue the revolution. By contrast, the one child policy of China (1979-2015) included punishments for families with more than one child and forced abortions. Some governments have sought to prevent certain ethnic or social groups from reproduction. Such policies were carried out against ethnic minorities in Europe and North America in the 20th century, and more recently in Latin America against the Indigenous population in the 1990s; in Peru, President Alberto Fujimori (in office from 1990 to 2000) has been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity as a result of a sterilization program put in place by his administration targeting indigenous people (mainly the Quechuas and the Aymaras).

Investigation and prosecution of crimes against women and girls

Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the legal impunity of perpetrators of crimes against women, with such crimes being often ignored by authorities. This is especially the case with murders of women in Latin America. In particular, there is impunity in regard to domestic violence.

Women are often, in law or in practice, unable to access legal institutions. UN Women has said that: "Too often, justice institutions, including the police and the courts, deny women justice". Often, women are denied legal recourse because the state institutions themselves are structured and operate in ways incompatible with genuine justice for women who experience violence.

Harmful traditional practices

"Harmful traditional practices" refer to forms of violence which are committed in certain communities often enough to become cultural practice, and accepted for that reason. Young women are the main victims of such acts, although men can be affected. They occur in an environment where women and girls have unequal rights and opportunities. These practices include, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:

female genital mutilation (FGM); forced feeding of women; early marriage; the various taboos or practices which prevent women from controlling their own fertility; nutritional taboos and traditional birth practices; son preference and its implications for the status of the girl child; female infanticide; early pregnancy; and dowry price

Son preference refers to a cultural preference for sons over daughters, and manifests itself through practices such as sex selective abortion; female infanticide; or abandonment, neglect or abuse of girl-children.

Abuses regarding nutrition are taboos in regard to certain foods, which result in poor nutrition of women, and may endanger their health, especially if pregnant.

The caste system in India which leads to untouchability (the practice of ostracizing a group by segregating them from the mainstream society) often interacts with gender discrimination, leading to a double discrimination faced by Dalit women. In a 2014 survey, 27% of Indians admitted to practicing untouchability.

Traditional customs regarding birth sometimes endanger the mothers. Births in parts of Africa are often attended by traditional birth attendants (TBAs), who sometimes perform rituals that are dangerous to the health of the mother. In many societies, a difficult labour is believed to be a divine punishment for marital infidelity, and such women face abuse and are pressured to "confess" to the infidelity.

Female genital mutilation

An estimated 125 million women and girls living today have undergone FGM in the 29 countries where data exist. Of these, about half live in Egypt and Ethiopia. It is most commonly carried out on girls between infancy and 15 years old.

Forced marriage and child marriage

Early marriage, child marriage or forced marriage is prevalent in parts of Asia and Africa. The majority of victims seeking advice are female and aged between 18 and 23. Such marriages can have harmful effects on a girl's education and development, and may expose girls to social isolation or abuse.

The 2013 UN Resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage calls for an end to the practice, and states that "Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage is a harmful practice that violates abuses, or impairs human rights and is linked to and perpetuates other harmful practices and human rights violations, that these violations have a disproportionately negative impact on women and girls [...]". Despite a near-universal commitment by governments to end child marriage, "one in three girls in developing countries (excluding China) will probably be married before they are 18." UNFPA states that, "over 67 million women 20-24 year old in 2010 had been married as girls. Half were in Asia, one-fifth in Africa. In the next decade 14.2 million girls under 18 will be married every year; this translates into 39,000 girls married each day. This will rise to an average of 15.1 million girls a year, starting in 2021 until 2030, if present trends continue."

Bride price

Bride price (also called bridewealth or bride token) is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the parents of the bride. This custom often leads to women having reduced ability to control their fertility. For instance, in northern Ghana, the payment of bride price signifies a woman's requirement to bear children, and women using birth control face threats, violence and reprisals. The custom of bride price has been criticized as contributing to the mistreatment of women in marriage, and preventing them from leaving abusive marriages. UN Women recommended its abolition, and stated that: "Legislation should [...] State that divorce shall not be contingent upon the return of bride price but such provisions shall not be interpreted to limit women's right to divorce; State that a perpetrator of domestic violence, including marital rape, cannot use the fact that he paid bride price as a defence to a domestic violence charge."

Economy and public policy

Economic empowerment of women

Promoting gender equality is seen as an encouragement to greater economic prosperity. Female economic activity is a common measure of gender equality in an economy.

Gender biases also exist in product and service provision. The term "Women's Tax", also known as " Pink Tax", refers to gendered pricing in which products or services marketed to women are more expensive than similar products marketed to men. Gender-based price discrimination involves companies selling almost identical units of the same product or service at comparatively different prices, as determined by the target market. Studies have found that women pay about $1,400 a year more than men due to gendered discriminatory pricing. Although the "pink tax" of different goods and services is not uniform, overall women pay more for commodities that result in visual evidence of feminine body image.

In addition, gender wage gap is a phenomenon of gender biases. That means women do the same job or work with their male counterpart, but they could not receive the same salary or opportunity at workforce. Human society is looking forward to achieving "Equal Pay for Equal Work ".

Gendered arrangements of work and care

Since the 1950s, social scientists as well as feminists have increasingly criticized gendered arrangements of work and care and the male breadwinner role. Policies are increasingly targeting men as fathers as a tool of changing gender relations. Shared earning/shared parenting marriage, that is, a relationship where the partners collaborate at sharing their responsibilities inside and outside of the home, is often encouraged in Western countries.

Western countries with a strong emphasis on women fulfilling the role of homemakers, rather than a professional role, include parts of German speaking Europe (i.e. parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland); as well as the Netherlands and Ireland. In the computer technology world of Silicon Valley in the United States, New York Times reporter Nellie Bowles has covered harassment and bias against women as well as a backlash against female equality.

A key issue towards insuring gender equality in the workplace is the respecting of maternity rights and reproductive rights of women. Different countries have different rules regarding maternity leave, paternity leave and parental leave. Another important issue is ensuring that employed women are not or prevented from having a child. In some countries, employers ask women to sign formal or informal documents stipulating that they will not get pregnant or face legal punishment. Women often face severe violations of their reproductive rights at the hands of their employers; and the International Labour Organization classifies forced abortion coerced by the employer as labour exploitation. Other abuses include routine virginity tests of unmarried employed women.

Freedom of movement

The degree to which women can participate (in law and in practice) in public life varies by culture and socioeconomic characteristics. Seclusion of women within the home was a common practice among the upper classes of many societies, and this still remains the case today in some societies. Before the 20th century it was also common in parts of Southern Europe, such as much of Spain.

Women's freedom of movement continues to be legally restricted in some parts of the world. This restriction is often due to marriage laws. In some countries, women must legally be accompanied by their male guardians (such as the husband or male relative) when they leave home.

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) states at Article 15 (4) that:

4. States Parties shall accord to men and women the same rights with regard to the law relating to the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their residence and domicile.

In addition to laws, women's freedom of movement is also restricted by social and religious norms. Restrictions on freedom of movement also exist due to traditional practices such as baad, swara, or vani.

Girls' access to education

In many parts of the world, girls' access to education is very restricted. In developing parts of the world women are often denied opportunities for education as girls and women face many obstacles. These include: early and forced marriages; early pregnancy; prejudice based on gender stereotypes at home, at school and in the community; violence on the way to school, or in and around schools; long distances to schools; vulnerability to the HIV epidemic; school fees, which often lead to parents sending only their sons to school; lack of gender sensitive approaches and materials in classrooms. According to OHCHR, there have been multiple attacks on schools worldwide during the period 2009-2014 with "a number of these attacks being specifically directed at girls, parents and teachers advocating for gender equality in education". The United Nations Population Fund says:

About two thirds of the world's illiterate adults are women. Lack of an education severely restricts a woman's access to information and opportunities. Conversely, increasing women's and girls' educational attainment benefits both individuals and future generations. Higher levels of women's education are strongly associated with lower infant mortality and lower fertility, as well as better outcomes for their children.

Political participation of women

Women are underrepresented in most countries' National Parliaments. The 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on women's political participation called for female participation in politics, and expressed concern about the fact that "women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalized from the political sphere". Only 22 percent of parliamentarians globally are women and therefore, men continue to occupy most positions of political and legal authority. As of November 2014, women accounted for 28% of members of the single or lower houses of parliaments in the European Union member states.

In some Western countries women have only recently obtained the right to vote.

In 2015, 61.3% of Rwanda's Lower House of Parliament were women, the highest proportion anywhere in the world, but worldwide that was one of only two such bodies where women were in the majority, the other being Bolivia's Lower House of Parliament. (See also Gender equality in Rwanda).

Marriage, divorce and property laws and regulations

The legal and social treatment of married women has been often discussed as a political issue from the 19th century onwards. Until the 1970s, legal subordination of married women was common across European countries, through marriage laws giving legal authority to the husband, as well as through marriage bars. In 1978, the Council of Europe passed the Resolution (78) 37 on equality of spouses in civil law. Switzerland was one of the last countries in Europe to establish gender equality in marriage, in this country married women's rights were severely restricted until 1988, when legal reforms providing for gender equality in marriage, abolishing the legal authority of the husband, come into force (these reforms had been approved in 1985 by voters in a referendum, who narrowly voted in favor with 54.7% of voters approving). In the Netherlands, it was only in 1984 that full legal equality between husband and wife was achieved: prior to 1984 the law stipulated that the husband's opinion prevailed over the wife's regarding issues such as decisions on children's education and the domicile of the family.

In the United States, a wife's legal subordination to her husband was fully ended by the case of Kirchberg v. Feenstra, 450 U.S. 455 (1981), a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held a Louisiana Head and Master law, which gave sole control of marital property to the husband, unconstitutional.

There have been and sometimes continue to be unequal treatment of married women in various aspects of everyday life. For example, in Australia, until 1983 a husband had to authorize an application for an Australian passport for a married woman. Other practices have included, and in many countries continue to include, a requirement for a husband's consent for an application for bank loans and credit cards by a married woman, as well as restrictions on the wife's reproductive rights, such as a requirement that the husband consents to the wife's acquiring contraception or having an abortion. In some places, although the law itself no longer requires the consent of the husband for various actions taken by the wife, the practice continues , with the authorization of the husband being asked in practice.

Laws regulating marriage and divorce continue to discriminate against women in many countries. In Iraq husbands have a legal right to "punish" their wives, with paragraph 41 of the criminal code stating that there is no crime if an act is committed while exercising a legal right. In the 1990s and the 21st century there has been progress in many countries in Africa: for instance in Namibia the marital power of the husband was abolished in 1996 by the Married Persons Equality Act; in Botswana it was abolished in 2004 by the Abolition of Marital Power Act; and in Lesotho it was abolished in 2006 by the Married Persons Equality Act. Violence against a wife continues to be seen as legally acceptable in some countries; for instance in 2010, the United Arab Emirates Supreme Court ruled that a man has the right to physically discipline his wife and children as long as he does not leave physical marks. The criminalization of adultery has been criticized as being a prohibition, which, in law or in practice, is used primarily against women; and incites violence against women ( crimes of passion, honor killings).

Social and ideological

Political gender equality

Two recent movements in countries with large Kurdish populations have implemented political gender equality. One has been the Kurdish movement in southeastern Turkey led by the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), from 2006 or before. The mayorships of 2 metropolitan areas and 97 towns[citation needed ] are led jointly by a man and a woman, both called co-mayors. Party offices are also led by a man and a woman. Local councils were formed, which also had to be co-presided over by a man and a woman together. However, in November 2016 the Turkish government cracked down on the HDP, jailing ten of its members of Parliament, including the party's male and female co-leaders.

Gender stereotypes

Gender stereotypes arise from the socially approved roles of women and men in the private or public sphere, at home or in the workplace. In the household, women are typically seen as mother figures, which usually places them into a typical classification of being "supportive" or "nurturing". Women are expected to want to take on the role of a mother and take on primary responsibility for household needs. Their male counterparts are seen as being "assertive" or "ambitious" as men are usually seen in the workplace or as the primary breadwinner for his family. Due to these views and expectations, women often face discrimination in the public sphere, such as the workplace. Women are stereotyped to be less productive at work because they are believed to focus more on family when they get married or have children. A gender role is a set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviors which are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of femininity and masculinity, although there are exceptions and variations.

Portrayal of women in the media

The way women are represented in the media has been criticized as perpetuating negative gender stereotypes. The exploitation of women in mass media refers to the criticisms that are levied against the use or objectification of women in the mass media, when such use or portrayal aims at increasing the appeal of media or a product, to the detriment of, or without regard to, the interests of the women portrayed, or women in general. Concerns include the fact that all forms of media have the power to shape the population's perceptions and portray images of unrealistic stereotypical perceptions by portraying women either as submissive housewives or as sex objects. The media emphasizes traditional domestic or sexual roles that normalize violence against women. The vast array of studies that have been conducted on the issue of the portrayal of women in the media have shown that women are often portrayed as irrational, fragile, not intelligent, submissive and subservient to men. Research has shown that stereotyped images such as these have been shown to negatively impact on the mental health of many female viewers who feel bound by these roles, causing amongst other problems, self-esteem issues, depression and anxiety.

According to a study, the way women are often portrayed by the media can lead to: "Women of average or normal appearance feeling inadequate or less beautiful in comparison to the overwhelming use of extraordinarily attractive women"; "Increase in the likelihood and acceptance of sexual violence"; "Unrealistic expectations by men of how women should look or behave"; "Psychological disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia, bulimia and so on"; "The importance of physical appearance is emphasized and reinforced early in most girls' development." Studies have found that nearly half of females ages 6-8 have stated they want to be slimmer. (Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002)".

Statistics on women's representation in the media

Women have won only a quarter of Pulitzer prizes for foreign reporting and only 17 per cent of awards of the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. In 2015 the African Development Bank began sponsoring a category for Women's Rights in Africa, designed to promote gender equality through the media, as one of the prizes awarded annually by One World Media.

Created in 1997, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is an annual award that honors a person, organization or institution that has made a notable contribution to the defense and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world. Nine out of 20 winners have been women.

The Poynter Institute since 2014 has been running a Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media, expressly focused on the skills and knowledge needed to achieve success in the digital media environment.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), which represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and more than 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries, leads the Women in the News (WIN) campaign together with UNESCO as part of their Gender and Media Freedom Strategy. In their 2016 handbook, WINing Strategies: Creating Stronger Media Organizations by Increasing Gender Diversity, they highlight a range of positive action strategies undertaken by a number of their member organizations from Germany to Jordan to Colombia, with the intention of providing blueprints for others to follow.

Informing women of their rights

The 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states at Art. 4 (d) [...] "States should also inform women of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms". Enacting protective legislation against violence has little effect, if women do not know how to use it: for example a study of Bedouin women in Israel found that 60% did not know what a restraining order was; or if they don't know what acts are illegal: a report by Amnesty International showed in Hungary, in a public opinion poll of nearly 1,200 people in 2006, a total of 62% did not know that marital rape was an illegal (it was outlawed in 1997) and therefore the crime was rarely reported. Ensuring women have a minim understanding of health issues is also important: lack of access to reliable medical information and available medical procedures to which they are entitled hurts women's health.

Gender mainstreaming

Gender mainstreaming is described as the public policy of assessing the different implications for women and men of any planned policy action, including legislation and programmes, in all areas and levels, with the aim of achieving gender equality. The concept of gender mainstreaming was first proposed at the 1985 Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya. The idea has been developed in the United Nations development community. Gender mainstreaming "involves ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities".

According to the Council of Europe definition: "Gender mainstreaming is the (re)organization, improvement, development and evaluation of policy processes, so that a gender equality perspective is incorporated in all policies at all levels and at all stages, by the actors normally involved in policy-making."

An integrated gender mainstreaming approach is "the attempt to form alliances and common platforms that bring together the power of faith and gender-equality aspirations to advance human rights." For example, "in Azerbaijan, UNFPA conducted a study on gender equality by comparing the text of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women with some widely recognized Islamic references and resources. The results reflect the parallels between the Convention and many tenets of Islamic scripture and practice. The study showcased specific issues, including VAW, child marriage, respect for the dignity of women, and equality in the economic and political participation of women. The study was later used to produce training materials geared towards sensitizing religious leaders."

General issues

Specific issues

Organizations and ministries

Historical anecdotal reports

Other related topics

This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY SA 3.0 IGO License statement/permission on Wikimedia Commons. Text taken from World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018, 202, University of Oxford, UNESCO.

References

External links

United Nations Rule of Law: Gender Equality, on the relationship between gender equality, the rule of law and the United Nations.

Women and Gender Equality, the United Nations Internet Gateway on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.

Gender Equality, an overview of the United Nations Development Program's work on Gender Equality.

Gender issue -Significance in Watershed Management Programmes, Watershedpedia.

GENDERNET International forum of gender experts working in support of Gender equality. Development Co-operation Directorate of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

OECD's Gender Initiative, an overview page which also links to wikiGENDER, the Gender equality project of the OECD Development Centre.

The Local A news collection about Gender equality in Sweden.

Egalitarian Jewish Services A Discussion Paper.

End The Gender Pay Gap Project based in Palo Alto, CA.

Gender Equality Incorporated, an organization that develops capacity in addressing gender and inclusion issues, Canada

Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)

Equileap, an organisation aiming to accelerate progress towards gender equality in the workplace

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Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.