Gender Issues in the Context of LEDS

Komila Rakhimova

Good Governance Unit

UNDP Uzbekistan

In a nutshell

• human development concept• gender (in)equality• incorporating gender issues into

strategies and programs• gender, climate change, low-carbon

development• recommendations

human development concept

• women and men – the real wealth of nations – in center of attention

• goal – to create an environment and opportunities for capacity development in line with needs and interests of people

• long, healthy, and creative life of women and men• not only developing abilities and promoting

opportunities (agency), but also using these opportunities at work, leisure time, and social activities (empowerment).

• not only economic growth, but also equitable and sustainable distribution of results (between generations and social groups)

gender

• biological differences at birth serve as a substantiation and justification for social sex (gender)

• different positions and responsibilities, behavior standards and activities associated with women and men

• determine the rights they enjoy, resources and powers at their disposal; the role in a family, society and economy

• gender norms usually represent women as less important and weaker than men and as irrational and poor managers

• unequal status of women results in differences between the contribution they make into human development as participants and how little they actually participate in the distribution of results and benefits

• inequality in education and other opportunities, access to resources, decision-making, number of working hours, wage gaps, and life expectancy

• under-usage of a vast human resource and innovative potential (half of humankind)

Statistics (worldwide)

• Women make up 67% of all work worldwide (including household chores and informal labor)

• They dedicate more time to housework compared to men (from 1 to 3 hours), from 2 to 10 more hours to child care and attending to the elderl, and sick family members, and from 1 to 4 hours less on productive activity

• They produce from 45 to 90% of food (depending on the region), but earn only 10 % of global income. Women account for 70% of the poor

• 99% of property and decision-making power is in the hands of men• In this context, men live less than women by an average of 4-5 years,

while in “leading” countries they live 10-13 years less (Russia, Ukraine)• Even with increasing numbers of women at the level of decision-

making, women-ministers are frequently entrusted with the management of social, rather than economic portfolio

Year Academic Lyceums

General Education Facilities

Professional Colleges

Higher Education

Institutions

2006 0.564 0.944 0.983 0.693

2007 0.64 0.946 0.988 0.663

2008 0.667 0.947 1.003 0.679

Sector Employed Women, %

Employed Men, %

Industry 42 58Forestry and Agriculture 51.1 48.9Construction 12.8 87.2Transport and Communication

17.3 82.7

Trade 53.7 46.3Health Care, Sports, Social Security

78.3 21.7

Education, Culture, Science

68.7 31.3

Finances, Credits, Insurance

45.5 54.5

Women represent more than 50% of population, but 22% of the government, 6.2% of executive power and 21% of judicial power.Management positions in economy - 27% of women and 73% of men; women account for only 23% of all entrepreneurs.

Statistics (Uzbekistan)

Girls to boys ratio (1=equal)

• Does not mean sameness or complete reversal in the roles of women and men

• Means that different behaviors, aspirations, and needs of women and men are taken into consideration equally

• Differences do not serve as a pretext for discrimination or infringement of rights

• Rights, responsibilities, and opportunities do not depend on one’s sex

• Women and men have equal conditions for exercising their human rights and contributing to and enjoying the results of economic, social, and political development

• Smart Economics - increase in productivity, improved wellbeing (especially in children), sustainability, inclusiveness, and representativeness of institutions and decision-making processes.

Gender Equality

Gender Equality and Development

Equality in a household, employment, and society (access to resources, finances, and decision-making)

Improved access of women to markets

Higher level of health care and education services for women

Increased voice of women in decision-making and household

Higher level of women’s participation in the labor market and increased productivity and incomes

Improved health of children

Higher incomes / expenses

More savings

Better health and education = better productivity in adulthood

Poverty reduction and improved economic development

Further poverty reduction and economic development

Gender Mainstreaming in Programs and Strategies

Women and Development(the 70s-80s)

Gender and Development(beginning in the 90s)

diagnosis women/girls gender relations

goals, strategies, actions

women/girls women, men, girls and boysall categories

monitoring and evaluation

change in the status of women/girls

women and boys, girls and boys

• assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels

• experiences of women and men are indispensable element in design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs

• the goal is to achieve progress results of equal value for women and men, and to eradicate inequality

Gender, Climate Change, LED

- climate changes, environmental deterioration and shrinking natural resources impact women and men in different ways

- their health, workload and social stance, and opportunities (risks and adaptation)

- for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies to be effective, they need to consider differences and vulnerabilities of women and men

- as resources dwindle, catastrophes and diseases become more frequent, women tend to spend more time on housework, care for the sick, and obtaining energy thus reducing their time on education, rest, and etc.

- according to LSE study of 141 natural disasters – in societies with greater equality of sexes, both women and men suffer equally, while in societies with less equality – there are more casualties among women and children

- for example, women are more vulnerable during floods – 75% of victims in the 2004 tsunami in Asia were women and children (due to limited mobility and knowledge as well as various responsibilities)

Gender, Climate Change, LED

- Women and men have unequal access to and control over natural resources (property, access to knowledge and credits, mobility)

- Energy needs, using energy and experience vary between women and men (gender-based division of labor)

- For better effectiveness and targetedness, behavioral and practice change strategies should consider these differences

- Equal involvement of women into decision-making on issues related to environment and climate change (from households to international negotiations) will tap on their knowledge and practices and increase the number of solutions and innovations

What types of energy do women and men use? What for? How the types of energy influence health and workload of men/women? What type of emissions are more harmful?

• any reforms, innovations, changes in the sector, including LEDS, projects for carbon markets funds and the UN Carbon Facility, and climate change mitigation and financing initiativeы may have different effects on women and men

• they may either improve or worsen the employment opportunities, health, income, household workload distribution, access to resources and new knowledge for  women and men, empowerment of women and gender equality

• paying attention gender issues and gender mainstreaming, women’s involvement in decision making and acquiring knowledge, taking into account the different roles and responsibilities of women and men, gender-based division of labor, the use of their expertise and attention to their needs will improve the outcomes and effectiveness of policies and programs

• For example, “Achieving Sustainability of Ecosystems on Degraded Land in Karakalpakstan and the Kyzylkum Desert” project

Gender, Climate Change, LED

• Goal: to pilot, evaluate and disseminate innovative approaches and practices for sustainable land management and conservation of ecosystem stability

• post-Aral, few alternative sources of income, traditionally cattle-breeding is developed, land degradation, non-diversified diet

• training events and farming learning sessions usually attended by men

• the project team did not have sufficient understanding and skills of gender mainstreaming

• gender expert was attracted and training for the team, community assessment and mobilization were carried out

Gender, Climate Change, LED

• division of labor (household plots, pastures), different interests, unused additional workforce

• training for women and children from 40 families in the field of farming school

• master courses in farming, new plants, processing and making preserves

• 6 hectares of plots, contest for the best green yard at two schools, business plans (greenhouse, sewing shop)

• development of microclimate, additional income for families

• improved diet, increased participation of women

Gender, Climate Change, LED

Recommendations• determine the picture of gender (in) equality - gender analysis of the sector

• what is the access to and control over resources among men/women?• have gender roles and needs of men/women been taken into account?• who is engaged in what activity (division of labor)?• who decides on and controls incomes/expenses?• what knowledge and experiences do women and men have?

• consultations with beneficiaries of both sexes• collection of data disaggregated by sex, region, age and etc.• special sub-components and positive discrimination measures to eliminate

inequalities (+ $)• incorporation of gender indicators into programs/strategies to assess the

equality of results for women and men• awareness raising and capacity building on gender issues for all parties

involved• consultations with women's NGOs and gender experts• improving the participation of women as beneficiaries and decision makers

(including, at least, 30% quota of the opposite sex)

THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION!