GENDER EQUALITY

Gender equality: context  The principle of gender equality does not exist in many cultures: now central in western culture but recent, started about 150 years ago and accelerated a generation ago)  It must be sensitively promoted respecting different cultures or it may be resisted by both women and men: may also destroy existing social safety nets  Consequences of systematic inequality of women:  Dependence makes them more vulnerable if family disrupted  Opportunities to increase family income and to direct more of it towards wellbeing are lost  Imbalance of power is bad for everybody

Gender equality: issues  Poverty reduction measures can be more effective if directed towards women  Favouring employment of women in low cost road contruction is effective  In the longer run, their employment can promote greater equality in rural areas:

Gender equality in roadworks  Equality on worksites is effective:  More of their income goes to family welfare  Access to larger workforce when labour is scarce  They may even be harder workers  Easier on labour-based sites  Negative perceptions of womens’ involvement must be be changed to promote equality

Gender equality: actions  Focus on womens’ participation at the planning stage (social animation)  Implement non-discriminatory recruitment procedures  Organize work to favour womens’ daily and seasonal availability  Insist on equal pay and supervise wage payments (important for all workers)  Promote womens’ ownership of small enterprises