10 Myths about women's rights QUIZ

1. The situation for women in the world has improved dramatically in recent decades – we are now well on the way to basic equality for women.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

Fiction The rights of women worldwide have improved significantly in recent decades largely because of the campaigns and struggles of the international women’s rights movement through combinations of local, national and international campaigns. This has led many to argue that the world is now well on its way to realising gender equality - nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that we still must argue about and campaign for equality for half of humanity illustrates the point.Progress has been substantial. Between 2000 and 2017: • maternal mortality rates worldwide fell by 38%; • more girls were at school than ever before; • 131 countries introduced over 270 reforms in gender equality; • rates of child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation declined; • 1 in 3 news reporters are now women; • 25% of all parliamentarians are women; and • almost 30% of peace agreements included gender issues from 2010 to 2014.However, the progress achieved serves to highlight the glaring gaps that remain. Overall…• women have just 75% of the legal rights of men; • nearly two thirds of the world’s 781 million adults who cannot read and write are women;• on average, women are paid 24% less than men for comparable work; • 153 countries still have laws that discriminate against women economically, including 18 countries where husbands can legally prevent their wives from working; and • worldwide 1 in 3 women and girls will experience violence or abuse in their lifetime.

2. Women are now in more positions of power than ever before and women’s voices are now being finally heard.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

Despite progress, still fiction Research reports from the World Bank, UN Women and the UN Development Programme indicate that more women are now directly involved in decision-making roles in business, politics, science, education and society in general. This is true for all regions in the world, with some Developing Countries leading the world in this respect.Despite this, the needs, agendas and voices of women remain marginal in decision-making in almost all spheres of life. • 1 in 4 Parliamentarians are women or managers in business.• 14% of landholders are women.• Women in the age range 25-34 are 25% more likely to live in poverty which limits their opportunities in life. • In 59 countries, women and girls in poorer households are 4 times more likely than men to have unmet literacy needs. • 65% of women have accounts in a financial institution of some sort. • 740 million women continue to work in the informal industry sector of where wages are lower and employment vulnerability is higher. • Currently, just 6 countries worldwide are characterised by equal rights for both women and men. • 1 in 3 women and girls (33%) will experience violence or abuse in their lifetime. Together these inequalities severely limit the power, voice and opportunities for women worldwide, especially in the Developing World.More, check out the Women, Business and the Law report by the World Bank at https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/wbl

3. Laws have been established to guarantee ‘women’s rights’ so there is no need to talk about it anymore.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

More fiction than facts There are many international treaties signed and ratified by nations such as the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Resolution 1325 for women in conflict/war, various ‘Platforms for Action’, conferences, legislation for equal pay and equal rights. Despite these, the reality on the ground for women across the globe remains one of inequality, oppression and discrimination that becomes part of their daily lives. In some countries, seeking and defending women’s rights can be fatal. Of recent concern are the direct challenges against progress over the centuries by and for women towards achieving gender equality. This was noted by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachele: “In many countries, the fundamental recognition that all human beings are equal, and have inherent rights, is under attack. And the institutions set up by States to achieve common solutions are being undermined” So, while there have been laws, processes and institutions established to protect the rights of women and girls to ensure their equal participation and recognition within societies, the reality is that women in all contexts across this planet continue to experience violence, oppression and inequality. For more, read Michelle Bachele’s statement in September 2018 at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23640&LangID=E

4. Feminism is for white, wealthy women.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

Fiction‘Feminism’ as a term, ideology and a movement has been much debated, critiqued and even blamed for the social disintegration and the ‘crisis’ of masculinity in response to the changes we see in today’s societies. The rise of what has been called the ‘manosphere’, an extreme set of ‘male’ ideas and perspectives has grown significantly in recent years as part of an anti-feminist agenda. Feminism and the feminist ‘agenda’ is often popularly viewed as being led by and benefitting largely ‘white’ ‘women’ of ‘wealth’. Over a century ago, it was women in the ‘western world’ who fought for the right to vote, the right to work, the right to equal pay, the right to decision-making over their reproductive health, the right to own property and for equal rights. Increasingly, this one-dimensional understanding of feminism as ‘white’ was fundamentally challenged by the growing awareness of the experiences of oppression of women of colour in the United States and their responses to it.This was also paralleled by two other stories – those of women in the ‘Third World’ and also by the more recently highlighted discriminations faced by faced by LGBTQIA+ groups.Also, feminism is not confined to ‘women’. Many men support feminism and feminist principles in their own journey towards a gender equal society. Feminism enables all of us to ‘see’ the often hidden and ignored inequalities faced by oppressed members of our societies. As the Nigerian author and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie insists, ‘we should all be feminists’.See: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TED Talk: on We Should All Be Feminists at https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_we_should_all_be_feminists?language=en

5. Recent women’s rights campaigns such as #MeToo reflect western concerns and are not relevant elsewhere in the world.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

FictionIn 2015, Argentina witnessed an explosion of protest over extremely high levels of violence against women – the slogan they used was Ni Una Menos (Not One Less). The movement spread across Latin America and took on a variety of issues. In Chile, the focus was on equality issues and the cost of living.The African Women’s Leaders Network began in 2017 and within three years it has grown into a network of over 500 women leaders focused on leadership in the context of sustainable development. Its agenda includes governance, political participation, peace and security, finance and entrepreneurship, youth, agriculture and social movements. In the 1990s women became a significant political force winning more than one-third of parliamentary seats in countries such as Burundi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Women in Rwanda hold the highest percentage of legislative seats in the world. In 2020, over 90 Middle-Eastern women’s organisations signed a global appeal headed by the UN Secretary General for a ceasefire in the conflicts in Libya, Palestine, Yemen and Syria at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They represent hundreds of women’s rights organisations across the region focused on a very broad range of issues and agendas.These are but three representative examples of women’s rights organisations outside the Developed World who have been active on a very broad range of issues since colonial times and have much in common with feminism and women’s movements worldwide.For an initial introduction, see the interactive and illustrated report Gender equality: Women’s rights in review 25 years after Beijing at https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/03/womens-rights-in-review

6. The impact of COVID-19 is shared equally by women and men.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

Fiction 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the international agenda for action on women’s rights that was agreed in Beijing in 1995. The focus for 2020 was to measure the progress achieved since Beijing. However, COVID-19 has contributed to undermining the limited gains made since and has even rolled some back. According to the UN, the pandemic will most likely deepen pre-existing gender-based inequalities, highlighting economic, social and political vulnerability. As a result of the pandemic, it is estimated that in 2021, some 47 million women and girls will be pushed into extreme poverty, bringing the total to 435 million, where for every 100 men aged 25 to 34 living in extreme poverty, there will be 118 women. This gap is expected to increase to 121 women for every 100 men by 2030. Women continue to work in vulnerable and low paid employment during the pandemic, they remain largely excluded from peace negotiations, from vital climate talks and continue to have just 75% of the legal rights that men do. In this context, the World Bank estimates that it could take 150 years to achieve gender parity in respect to earned income. Rights organisations are concerned that as public support for women’s rights becomes a mainstream concern, groups opposing gender equality will organise retaliation. Source: UN policy briefing on The Impact off COVID-19 on Women, at https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women

7. The gender pay gap is a myth that manipulates statistics and a false agenda for change.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

FictionThe recent Global Gender Gap Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum confirms that the Gender Pay Gap is indeed real and that, “None of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children… the overall global gender gap will close in 99.5 years, on average…”.In Western Europe, it will take 54 years, as compared to North America or East Asia and the Pacific, which will take 151 years and 163 years respectively. The report reveals that globally, the average gender pay gap for women is 31.4% less than their male counterparts. In Ireland the gap is 13.9% less, which equates to 50 days per year where women work for free.In addition, women generally spend twice as much time as men in unpaid housework and caring roles, and most often work in insecure and often unregulated and part-time work (41% as compared to 12%).The continuing gender pay gap is evidenced across the world and corroborated through statistics and facts across a spectrum of organisations collecting data, such as the Central Statistics Office in Ireland.Source: www3.weforum.org; www.cso.ie

8. Men experience violence in their lives just as much as women,

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

FictionViolence is widespread across all genders, class, age and locations. Men today are experiencing high and rising suicide rates, they suffer serious accidents at work (for example on building sites), represent high numbers of conflict/war related casualties, are overrepresented in prison statistics and are not immune to rape or gender-based violence. In comparison, however, women are disproportionately impacted across all aspects of the violence spectrum and statistics throughout their life cycle. Globally, for example:• 1 in 3 women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime• are more likely to be killed by a male member of their own family• are more likely to have experienced forced sex and/or forced marriage at an early age• have experienced multiple gang rapes• are trafficked in greater numbers and for sexual exploitationWomen are also subjected to: • purdah (a religious and social practice of female seclusion from public view, prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities), dowry and honour killings; • widow inheritance and cleansing;• coercive sexual transactions; • female infanticide and femicide; • being targeted or abducted for rape as a strategy of war; and • are forced into prostitution, and much more. During global health crises, such as in the current Covid19 pandemic, women’s experiences of violence across the planet has intensified and escalated in particular during state imposed ‘lockdowns’ and has been referred to as the ‘shadow pandemic’.The evidence clearly reports that while some men experience violence in their lives, the experiences of violence targeted towards women is widespread, multiple, intersecting and cuts across all ages and stages of their lives.

9. Even though men get sick too, often with similar conditions, there is an overemphasis on women’s health.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

The Human Development Report’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) is written by the UN’s Development Programme, which measures women’s empowerment in health, education and economic status. It tells us that no place in the world has achieved gender equality and that overall progress has been slowing in recent years. At this rate, the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.A key indicator of this reality is in the lack of progress in women’s health, and in particular their reproductive health as part of sexual and reproductive health and rights.There has been some progress in recent years, such as the reduction of harmful gender practices such as Female Genital Mutilation and reducing maternal mortality. Between 2000 and 2017, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR which means number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) dropped by about 38% worldwide. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, this remains a challenge, where 1 woman in every 180 giving birth dies (more than 20 times the rate in developed countries). The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. The impact on women’s health extends to their role as ‘caregiver’ where many women continue to face harassment, violence and abuse in the workplace and this is ever more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women’s lack of access to healthcare is also a factor in their negative health outcomes. The health and well-being of half of the world’s population continues to need serious consideration and action. Supporting women’s health is a human rights necessity. See: WHO.int https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/ten-top-issues-for-women's-health; and UNWOMEN.org https://www.unwomen.org/en

10. There isn’t much one person can do to change the state of women’s rights.

• FACT

• FICTION

Answer explanation

Fiction It is true that there are many things that cannot be changed by one individual working alone - climate change, unjust international trade and finance, regional conflicts or transnational or governmental corruption come to mind. Some would argue that this proves there is little or nothing an individual can do, yet clearly this is a fiction and a dangerous one at that. Each of us in our families, communities, network of friends, workplaces and leisure activities, in our communications and conversations deal directly and indirectly with women’s rights. Every day we have many opportunities to speak out and ‘do’ in support of rights or to challenge what undermines them. Most of the major changes throughout history began with the actions and behaviours of individuals or small groups rather than with large institutions, processes or structures. So, here are 4 simple actions/behaviours you might consider in the context of women’s rights. 1. Don’t be silent – speak up in support of equality or against inequality; join the conversation on women’s rights. 2. Share workloads – challenge the idea that women’s and men’s work are always different; support each other and be the change we wish to see. 3. Be involved – don’t leave it to others. 4. Educate yourself and others about rights and equality; knowing some of the basics is important in moving the agenda forward. For more, see https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/3/compilation-eight-ways-you-can-be-a-womens-rights-advocate