gender cross cutting issues1

8/12/2019 Gender Cross Cutting Issues1

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What is a cross-cutting issue?

Cross cutting issues are issues that touch on general principles such as democracy and humanrights, good governance, children's rights and the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality,a sustainable environment and HIV/AID!

Gender Equality – THE cross-cutting issue for development

The World Bank tackles the goal of bringing a gender perspective to the analysis and design

of development policies.

Development objectives like reducing poverty and hunger, improving children’s access toeducation and health, reducing child and maternal mortality and combating diseases like

HIV/AIDS are closely linked to gender euality!

"ost development goals can be achieved #hen serious e$$orts are made to increase #omen’s

education, employment, income and intra%household decision making po#er! &ender eualitythus emerges as key $actor $or progress in society!

Image source: www.uneca.org

International organisations are increasingly a#are o$ this $act! 'he (orld )ank, $or e*ample, hasannounced that the +-+ (orld Development .eport #ill $ocus on gender euality and

development! 'he report #ill look at $acts and trends regarding the various dimensions o$ gender

euality in the conte*t o$ the development process! It #ill argue $irst that gender euality is acore development issuea primary objective o$ development in its o#n right!

'he report’s key dimensions o$ gender euality include #omen’s and men’s endo#ments o$

human and physical capital, their access to economic opportunities and their ability to shape theirlives! 'he report #ill sho# that although many #omen around the #orld still continue to struggle#ith gender%based disadvantages, much has changed $or the better and at a much more rapid

pace than ever be$ore! )ut the report #ill also sho# that progress needs to be e*panded,

protected and deepened! In order to understand #hy the pace o$ progress has varied acrossdi$$erent dimensions o$ gender euality as #ell as bet#een countries, the report #ill look at ho#

markets, $ormal institutions such as la#s, and in$ormal social institutions, such as norms, interact

and in$luence household decision%making!

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)esides analysing the causes and conseuences o$ gender ineuality, the report #ill also discuss

ideas about ho# to provide incentives, ho# to shape pre$erences and ho# to impose constraints

in order to promote gender ineuality!

Some analytical #ork that has been done $or the report is already available on the (orld )ank’s

#ebsite0

(orld )ank (orld Development .eport +-+0 &ender 1uality and Development

'he graph belo# illustrates that mortality and in$ant mortality are highly interconnected0

Image

source: WB WDR 2012; www.gapminder.org

As soon as medical progress allo#s in$ant mortality to decline, $ertility also declines on a drastic

scale! 'he time%lagged reaction o$ $ertility to changes in mortality leads to a natural increase in population si2e! 3opulation gro#th, #hich is caused by $ertility decreases occurring time%

delayed to mortality decreases, can be observed in most emerging countries 4 a phenomenon

#hich re$ers to the 5Demographic 'ransition 'heory6! 3opulation si2e becomes stable as soonas mortality and $ertility rates stagnate on a relatively lo# level! Investing in a better access for

women and children to medical care thus emerges as a key parameter for development.

http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/EXTWDR2012/0,,menuPK:7778074~pagePK:7778278~piPK:7778320~theSitePK:7778063~contentMDK:22851055,00.html


http://www.gapminder.org/

http://genderdebate.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/education-chart-11.gif


http://www.gapminder.org/




Reducing the gender wage gap in Europe – how to tackle the

task ?

omen in Europe currently earn on average !"#$% less than men# Even though there is an

increasing political will to reduce the gender wage gap& initiatives often do not have muchimpact& as the real reasons for the persisting gender wage gap tend to 'e misidentified#

At 17 level, the gender pay gap is de$ined as the relative di$$erence in the average gross hourlyearnings o$ #omen and men #ithin the economy as a #hole! 1ven though there e*ists a

signi$icant gender pay gap in every 1uropean country, there are considerable di$$erences

bet#een the "ember States in this regard, #ith the pay gap ranging $rom less than -8 in Italy,"alta, 3oland, Slovenia and )elgium to more than +8 in Slovakia, the 9etherlands, :2ech

.epublic, :yprus, &ermany, 7nited ;ingdom and &reece and more than +<8 in 1stonia and

Austria!

Source0 Data0 1urostat =+>? e*cept $or 11 =+@? Image0 1uropean :ommission

'he gender pay gap di$$ers #idely bet#een Brance and &ermany, #hich are the both 1uropean

countries #ith the most socioeconomic similarities! In &ermany, #omen earn on average +C!+8less than men, #hereas in Brance, #omen earn 5only6 -@!-8 less than men! In addition, salary

gaps have been rising continuously in &ermany $or more than a decade, #hile #age gaps have

been almost constant in Brance since + and even sank in the early +s! 'he increase in the

gender #age gap in &ermany has been especially pronounced in recent years, as the lo# paysector has been largely e*panded since + and especially during the recent economic crisis! In

Brance, on the other hand, the legally binding minimum #age helps prevent such a development!

'he $act that less #omen in Brance are in precarious employment and more #omen areemployed $ull time $urther reduces the gender #age gap as compared to &ermany to a signi$icant

e*tent!

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'he 1uropean :ommission cites several causes $or the persisting gender #age gap in 1uropean

countries0 'he most $reuently cited reason is labour market segregation0 #omen tend to #ork

more in sectors and statuses that are not very #ell paid! "any girls still limit their career choicesto a narro# range o$ jobs despite their superior academic per$ormance =hori2ontal segregation?!

A high proportion o$ #omen is employed in the social services sector, #ith the majority

employed in the lo#er income segment =$or e*ample as elementary school teacher, nurse, social#orker, cleaning lady, sales#oman, child care provider?, #hich leads to the $act that #omen are

signi$icantly under%represented in the industry sectors! 'he job groups in #hich #omen are

overrepresented usually o$$er #orse career opportunities and lo#er pay in comparison to male%dominated jobs! Bemale%dominated jobs are also paid less simply because o$ their lo#er social

status as 5#omen’s jobs6! 'ypically masculine job categories, on the other hand, such as

engineering and $inance, are usually very #ell paid! At the same time, men and #omen are

employed on di$$erent hierarchy levels =vertical segregation?! (omen tend to get promoted less$reuently and $ind it more di$$icult to attain management positions! 'hus, across all sectors,

#omen are less present in supervisory boards!

Ho#ever, only a small proportion o$ the gender #age gap is attributable to di$$erences in productivity bet#een men and #omen, #hich result $rom di$$erences in training, choice o$ the

sector, choice o$ #orking hours or limited $le*ibility caused by $amily commitments! :areer

paths o$ uali$ied #omen are blocked by in$ormal and o$ten invisible barriers 4 this phenomenon

is kno#n as the glass ceiling’! 'he glass ceiling limits #omen’s access to net#orks andin$ormation #ithin companies! Burthermore, there is evidence that male bosses tend to $avour

and promote male employees rather than $emale employees in many companies! (omen’s

careers o$ten come to a halt #hen they reach middle management! It is mainly #omenthemselves #ho come to su$$er $rom this! 'he #age ineuality has an impact throughout

#omen’s lives and especially #hen they retire as lo#er salaries lead to lo#er pensions and a

higher risk o$ poverty in older age! Ho#ever, there is rising a#areness that company’s

e*ecutive management stands to lose or never attains important competencies held by #omenstuck in middle management!

Since recently, one can observe an increasing political #ill to reduce the gender #age gap allover

1urope! 51ual pay6 initiatives and la#s o$ten call $or paying #omen and men the same #age#hen both do the same job! Ho#ever, this 5direct6 #age discimination only accounts $or a small

part o$ the gender #age gap! The main main reason why women earn less than men is not

because they earn less for doing the same job, but because they do NOT do the same job

(omen are underrepresented in the industry sector and in management positions and there$ore

do not have the same career and #age options than men!

Bighting against the gender #age gap there$ore primarily implies enlarging career perspectives

$or #omen and encouraging girls and #omen to take on typically 5male6 jobs #hile puttingtypically 5$emale6 so$t skills =empathy, social competence, con$lict management? into use! At the

same time, boys and men should be encouraged to do typical $emale jobs, especially in social

services! 'his reuires gender%conscious school pedagogy to encourage children to choose

gender%atypical careers and to break up gender stereotypes!



'o $urther boost #omen’s career development, there should be mechanisms to help #omen make

the transition $rom marginal #ork arrangements to a regular $ull%time job! 3ublicly $unded

initiatives $or uali$ications and continuing education may be a good start! 'he introduction o$ alegally binding minimum #age #ould also represent an important step to#ards $inancial

independence and social security $or #omen employed in the lo# pay sector! In order to advance

gender euality in the business #orld, a $emale uota $or e*ecutive and supervisory boards o$large companies #ould be appropriate! &ender mainstreaming and #omen’s advancement

programmes should contain clear goal de$initions, responsibilities and binding sanction

mechanisms both in the private and the public sector!

(emale Employment – an effective instrument to reduce

child poverty

A recently published E1:D report, named 5Doing better $or $amilies6, looks at the di$$erent

#ays in #hich governments support $amilies! 'he book discusses aspects o$ child poverty and

children’s #ell%being and $ollo#s up on the uestion ho# to success$ully and sustainably reducechild poverty!

Image source0 www.fueak.bw21.de

Interestingly, generous child allo#ances do not come up as universal remedy! A comparison o$

E1:D countries suggests rather that child poverty is lo#er in those countries #here $emaleemployment is on a relatively high level!

According to the E1:D, 5joblessness greatly increases the chances o$ a household being poor!

F!!!G oblessness is still the major poverty risk especially among sole%parent $amilies!5 'his

implies that parents’ paid #ork is the most e$$ective instrument to reduce child poverty!1ncouraging mothers’ employment in decent #ork and enhancing their career and income

perspectives can thus be seen as a major task to combat child poverty!

'he E1:D states $urther that 5the economic vulnerability o$ $amilies is linked to parents’

incapacity to reconcile employment and parenthood!5 'his suggests that, in order to improve thelabour $orce participation o$ parents, and particularly o$ mothers and sole%parents, policies are

needed that are geared to enable parents to combine #ork and $amily li$e! 'his includes, amongst

others, investments in area%#ide and all%day child care services $or children o$ all ages, $le*ible

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#orking schemes, short but #ell%remunerated parental leave and an encouragement $or $athers to

take over $amily responsibilities!

E$ course, children’s #ell%being does not only depend on parents’ income, but ismultidimensional! 3arents’ income contributes to children’s material #ell%being by means o$

investments in their health and education, but aspects o$ subjective%#ell being should not beunderestimated! :hildren need parents’ a$$ection and attention! It is clear that even the most

uali$ied educators can not completely substitute parents’ engagement in child%rearing! &iving#orking parents the possiblility o$ spending time #ith their children is crucial $or the #ell%being

o$ the #hole $amily! 'his possibilities do not only depend on public policy instruments, but

mainly on engagements, agreements and initiatives made by employers!

Challenges to the policy of gender as a cross cutting issue

• Internationally and nationally the policy of mainstreaming gender in

practice areas has seen gender issues neglected and slipping off the

agenda.

• There has been a reduction in the efforts to empower women, the

other side of the coin to gender equality

• There is very limited gender budgeting in planning and decision

making processes

• There is very limited gender auditing to assess progress

• There is a high demand from the national and district governments,

civil society and women’s organisations in Rwanda for support in

gender equality and women’s empowerment strategies and activities

in addition to the gender mainstreaming/crosscutting strategy.

Presentation on Mainstreaming Cross-cutting Issues(Gender, HIV/AIDS) in Monitoring Poverty and PSP



!"#! Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Poverty Monitoring

Rev. Casimir Mabina from NGO TAC started by saying that poverty and HIV/AI! areinseparab"e and that the t#o are "in$ed in a dia"e%ti%a" re"ationship. &overty %ontrib'testo the f'rther transmission of HIV/AI!( and HIV/AI! %ontrib'tes to in%reased poverty"eve"s. Th's monitoring poverty and &R!& m'st a"so ta$e in %onsideration thedevastating impa%t and effe%ts of HIV/AI!.

HIV/AI! affe%ts a"" peop"e of a"" ages( ra%e( re"igions and so%ia" stat's. It affe%ts a""se%tors )in%"'ding the &R!& priority se%tors*( %a'sing far rea%hing %onse+'en%es for theso%ia"( e%onomi% and po"iti%a" "ife in Tan,ania.

The so%io-e%onomi% imp"i%ations of HIV/AI! are more great"y fe"t at fami"y( ho'seho"dand %omm'nity "eve"s. The impa%t of the epidemi% at the mi%ro-"eve" is event'a""y fe"t atthe ma%ro-"eve"( affe%ting $ey indi%ators of nationa" deve"opment.

omen are more affe%ted by the $i""er disease than men d'e to their re"ative"y "o#so%ia" and e%onomi% stat's( high trends of poverty among #omen and the bio"ogi%a"ma$e-'p of their reprod'%tive bodies. Chi"dren and the yo'th are a"so v'"nerab"e to

HIV/AI!. The epidemi% has prod'%ed orphans #ho have in%reased %onsiderab"y(street %hi"dren and ho'seho"ds #hi%h are headed by non prod'%tive %hi"dren or thee"der"y have a"so in%reased.

HIV/AI! drains m'%h needed h'man reso'r%es and "abor for%e. &eop"e #ho die fromHIV/AI! are peop"e #ho are in the prod'%tive age gro'ps( peop"e #ho have beentrained to %ontrib'te to nationa" deve"opment. HIV/AI! a"so drains finan%ia" reso'r%esand affe%ts e%onomi% performan%e at a"" "eve"s( "eading to in%reased poverty. A "ot of



time is spent in providing %are to peop"e #ith HIV/AI!. 'e to "oss of bread-earners(%hi"dren and #omen "a%$ s'pport and a%%ess to basi% so%ia" servi%es. i$e#ise( %hi"d"abor is no# on the in%rease d'e to in%reased poverty "eve"s part"y %ontrib'ted byHIV/AI!.

Apparent"y there is no %'re of the epidemi% in sight. HIV/AI! is treated on"y thro'ghpa""iative %are. As a res'"t( HIV/AI! patients no# o%%'py 012 of hospita" beds. Thistrend drains the a"ready meager Government and hea"th %are reso'r%es. It affe%ts thep'b"i% se%tor( private se%tor( ed'%ation( hea"th( agri%'"t're and the informa" se%tors as#e"".

P$enary Discussions%

&eop"e m'st admit for s're that HIV/AI! is a $i""er disease in Tan,ania and C!Os have a

great ro"e to sensiti,e a"" types of peop"e and so%ia" gro'ps abo't the epidemi% and ho# to

promote behavior %hange thro'gh I3C/4CC )Information( 3d'%ation

Comm'ni%ation/4ehavior Change Comm'ni%ation* a%tivities.

Time has %ome to brea$ the si"en%e on HIV/AI!( meaning that #e sho'"d ta"$ open"y abo't

HIV/AI! to members of the fami"y espe%ia""y targeting at %hi"dren and yo'th.

!afer se5 and 'se of %ondoms sho'"d be promoted by C!Os.

e are #orried by the fa%t that there is no integrated frame#or$ in p"a%e that sho#s 's #hat

the Government is doing to %ombat HIV/AI!. Ho# %an #e then monitor HIV/AI!

prevention efforts6

It is s'rprising to 's to see that the &R!& has set a goa" to a%hieve 712 HIV/AI!

a#areness "eve" by 8119( #hi"e the %'rrent "eve" of HIV/AI! a#areness has a"ready

rea%hed :;2<<< Is this &R!& red'%ing poverty progressive"y or ta$ing 's ba%$ to a target of712( #hi%h #e had a"ready "ong passed6<< hat happened is that the or"d 4an$/IM=

#anted indi%ators that #i"" >'stify Tan,ania to a%%ess f'"" debt re"ief( the Government gave

them indi%ators #hi%h are a"ready "ong a%hieved<<

HIV/AI! poses a big ris$ that the &R!& targets #i"" not be rea%hed. Given the impa%t of the

epidemi% on the so%ia" and e%onomi% se%tors( #e might not be ab"e to disaggregate #hat

%ontrib'tes to fai"'re of a%hieving %ertain &R!& targets. i"" the IM=/or"d 4an$ a%%ept a

sit'ation #here the Government has done its ob"igation in addressing priority se%tor

deve"opment goa"s b't the fina" sit'ation t'rns o't that poverty has #orsened be%a'se of the

HIV/AI! epidemi% or they #i"" thin$ #e #ere not that serio's in imp"ementing the &R!&6

C!O sho'"d %ontin'e to press'ri,e for the avai"abi"ity of %heap"y man'fa%t'red HIV/AI!

generi% dr'gs. In the !eatt"e TO meeting( C!Os %a""ed for the TO to be sh't do#n.

!ometimes o'r Government %annot be vo%a" eno'gh #hen it %ha""enges internationa" bodies

s'%h as or"d 4an$( IM= and TO be%a'se it is a signatory( vo"'ntary s'bs%riber(

shareho"der and sometimes even board member of s'%h organisations. e have nothing to

"oose. e oppose TRI&! )Trade Re"ated Inte""e%t'a" &roperty Rights*. HIV/AI! medi%ation

%annot be reprod'%ed be%a'se the origina" patent o#ners( #ho are main"y the internationa"



pharma%e'ti%a" %ompanies oppose it< TO s'pports TRI&!<<< This move is inh'mane and

immora"( #e #i"" %ontin'e #ith o'r internationa" advo%a%y initiatives to %ondemn it.

ecommendations%

C!Os sho'"d adopt the best pra%ti%es in monitoring poverty and &R!& so thatHIV/AI! is #e"" %apt'red be%a'se it is one of the indi%ators of meas'ring poverty at a"""eve"s )as it affe%ts a"" se%tors*. HIV/AI! impa%t sho'"d be monitored at a"" "eve"s both+'antitative"y and +'a"itative"y.

!trategies sho'"d be p't in p"a%e in order to dea" #ith HIV/AI! 'sing innovativeapproa%hes.

!"#& Presentation on Gender Mainstreaming as Gross-Cutting Issues in PSP

and Poverty Monitoring

The presentation #as done by Ms Gemma A$i"ima"i of Tan,ania Gender Net#or$ing&rogramme )TGN&*. The presentation started #ith an ana"ysis of ho# gender #as%onsidered d'ring the pro%ess of drafting the &R!&. As a point of depart're she pointedo't that gender as a %on%ern #as not f'""y addressed in the &R!& be%a'se there #as atota" "a%$ of 'nderstanding of gender mainstreaming d'ring the #ho"e &R!& pro%ess.

It #as therefore pointed o't that in essen%e( for any gender mainstreaming 'nderta$ingto be meaningf'"( gender %on%erns sho'"d be tre$$ed and tra%ed right from thestart/beginning of the pro%ess. This #as not done in the form'"ation of the &R!& asgender gro'pings #ere not %ons'"ted and treated on e+'a" terms.

? It sho'"d be noted that gender %on%ern and ana"ysis is not on"y ana"ysis abo't#omen( b't a"so a"" peop"e and everybody )men( #omen( %hi"dren( yo'th( e"der"y peop"eet%*. This ana"ysis ta$es into a%%o'nt the gender dimension for every gro'ping in theso%iety.? The &R!& pro%ess ignored gender mainstreaming and be%a'se of this there area"#ays big +'estions aro'nd the &R!& pro%ess. These +'estions in%"'de@

ho #ere the representatives d'ring the &R!& form'"ation pro%ess6ho and #hom did they represent6id a"" the gro'ps represented ta$e into %onsideration gender needs and %on%erns6

Gender %on%erns are the determinant/'nder"ying fa%tors of poverty and povertyred'%tion. They are therefore an important fa%tor in poverty monitoring and assessingthe &R!&. &overty monitoring sho'"d ta$e into a%%o'nt gender needs and re+'irementsat a"" times.

The pro%ess of gender ana"ysis and mainstreaming m'st start from "o#er "eve"sbeginning at the grassroots "eve" and move 'p#ards to the nationa" "eve". It sho'"d



en%ompass a"" gro'ps and a%tors %onte5t'a"ising gender %on%erns and ana"ysis in thepro%ess at a"" stages.

In the %onte5t of poverty ana"ysis( it is important to %apt're not on"y the gender %on%ernsb't a"so gender desegregation( #hi%h m'st be gathered from the "o%a" "eve". It is

%ommon $no#"edge that the e5isting "o%a" government str'%t'res at the distri%t andgrassroot "eve"s are not at a"" gender responsive be%a'se the ma>ority of those #ho ho"dpositions and ma$e de%isions at that "eve" are men( #ho more often do not ta$e intoa%%o'nt gender %on%erns. omen and gir"s are often disfavored in the de%ision ma$ingpro%ess. Reasons for a"" these prob"ems #ere sing"ed o't to be d'e to@? a%$ of a#areness of gender iss'es? a%$ of s$i""s and 'nderstanding on gender parameters? a%$ or "imited %apa%ity in gender iss'es and too"s for mainstreaming gender.

!"#' P$enary Discussions

Gender representation sho'"d be ba"an%ed in the poverty monitoring system ta$ing into

%onsideration a"" so%ia" gro'ps at a"" "eve"s of "ife and governan%e "eve"s.

&arti%ipation of $ey sta$eho"ders and a ba"an%ed gender representation is very %r'%ia"

espe%ia""y in poverty/&R!& monitoring pro%ess.

!"# ecommendations

Gender ana"ysis and mainstreaming in poverty monitoring and assessing the &R!& sho'"d

be mandatory.

=or effe%tive parti%ipation in the poverty monitoring pro%ess and &R!&( C!Os m'st be given

the ne%essary training on gender ana"ysis and mainstreaming.

Gender mainstreaming man'a"s sho'"d be prepared and distrib'ted to a"" sta$eho"ders.

gender cross cutting issues1

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