Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Jordan Country Gender Assessment : Economic Participation, Agency and Access to Justice in JordanOver the last three decades Jordan has
 made substantial investments in its human resources,
 spending more than 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product
 (GDP) on health and education. Like their male counterparts,
 women and girls have benefitted from these policies and
 their quality of life has improved. The Jordan Country
 Gender Assessment (CGA) has two primary objectives. The
 first is to assess gender imbalances in the areas of
 economic participation in the labor market, agency, and
 access to justice; provide a framework for policies or
 interventions to the Government of Jordan (GoJ) on
 addressing imbalances; and provide a basis for implementing
 the activities included in the Gender Action Plan (GAP). The
 second objective is to develop and strengthen partnerships
 with GoJ agencies, Civil Society Organization's (CSOs),
 and academic institutions to promote collaboration on
 addressing gender-related issues impacting development, and
 in particular to develop mechanisms for cooperation on
 implementation of the GAP. This CGA will further explore, in
 the Jordan country context, the argument that the
 considerable progress in human development in Jordan has not
 yet led to consistently higher women's participation in
 economic, political and social life, which in turn has
 slowed women's economic participation. Access to
 justice is directly linked to the issue of agency-whereas
 agency defines the legal and social boundaries of rights and
 practices, the concept of access to justice covers the tools
 and mechanisms aiding persons in exercising these rights.
 Obstacles to women exercising agency in Jordan are caused by
 a combination of the treatment of women versus men under
 applicable legal frameworks, with gaps further widened by
 restrictive social norms that can govern women's
 behavior. Recent legislative and regulatory reforms, if
 implemented effectively, have the potential to increase
 women's agency through expansion of rights and
 improvements in service delivery. Despite legal and social
 impediments to accessing land, levels of registration of
 land by women have been increasing in recent years.
-
Women's Legal Rights over 50 Years : Progress, Stagnation or Regression?Using a newly compiled database of women's property rights and legal capacity covering 100 countries over 50 years, this paper analyzes the triggers and barriers to reform. The database documents gender gaps in the ability to access and own assets, to sign legal documents in one's own name, and to have equality or non-discrimination as a guiding principle of the country's constitution. Progress in reducing these constraints has been dramatic -- half of the constraints documented in the 1960s had been removed by 2010. However, some sticky areas persist where laws have not changed or have even regressed. The paper analyzes potential drivers of reforms. A significant finding is that the relationship with a country's level of development and the extent of its reforms is not straightforward. For the first half of the sample, there was no systematic connection; only in the last 25 years have increases in income been associated with higher probabilities for reform, but only in lower-income countries. With the remaining constraints as prevalent in middle- as low-income countries, increased growth is not necessarily going to spark additional reforms. Clearer patterns emerge from the momentum created by international conventions, such as the Committee to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), women's political representation at the national level, mobilization of women's networks, and increasing labor force participation in sectors that provide a voice for women, which are positive forces for change. Conversely, conflict and weak rule of law can entrench a discriminatory status quo. And much is at stake; strengthening women's legal rights is associated with important development outcomes that can benefit society as a whole.
-
Making Everyone CountThe Philippines has made significant
 progress in empowering women and in advancing gender
 equality. The government's policy on gender equality
 and women's empowerment has prioritized women's
 economic empowerment, advancing human rights and enhancing
 gender-responsive local governance. All these priority
 concerns are integral components of poverty reduction
 programs in the Philippines. The Philippines has made
 significant progress in empowering women and in advancing
 gender equality. Since the government introduced a
 constitution in 1987 affirming the equality of women, it has
 pursued a number of initiatives to mainstream gender
 concerns in national policies and programs. A development
 plan for women was launched in 1987, followed by a plan for
 gender-responsive development, 1995-2025, coordinated by the
 National Commission on the Role of Filipino women. In 2004,
 the commission drafted a framework plan for women that
 identify three priority concerns to meet the objectives of
 gender equality and women's empowerment: economic
 empowerment of women, protection and fulfillment of
 women's human rights, and gender-responsive governance.
 Projects that support these priorities will facilitate more
 equitable development across the Philippines, including
 supporting the full participation of women in political
 processes and governance in the international and national
 local level, strengthening gender-sensitive and inclusive
 programs and mechanisms with civil society, and increasing
 women's access to economic resources such as capital,
 technology, information, markets, and training.