Page 68 - IBT Sept 2021 (1)
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Gender Parity                                                                       IN THE RUN
                                                                                                  FOR EQUALITY





                                                                                                                                           Much of this gap has been explained by
                                                                                                                                           measurable factors such as educational
                                                                                                                                           attainment, occupational segregation and work
                                                                                                                                           experience. The narrowing of the gap is
                                                                                                                                           attributable in large part to gains women have
                                                                                                                                           made in each of these dimensions.
                                                                                                                                           Often the miracle of motherhood is considered
                                                                                                                                           an exploit in women’s career paths and has an
                                                                                                                                           impact on future payrolls. A survey of workers
                                                                                                                                           who had taken parental, family or medical
                                                                                                                                           leave in the two years prior to the survey found
                                                                                                                                           that mothers typically take more time off than
                                                                                                                                           fathers after birth or adoption. The median
                                                                                                                                           length of leave among mothers after the birth
                                                                                                                                           or adoption of their child was 11 weeks,
                                                                                                                                           compared with one week for fathers.
                                                                                                                                           While decision-making remains
                                                                                                                                           overwhelmingly dominated by men, women’s
                                                                                                                                           representation in parliaments has more than
                                                                                                                                           doubled from 11 percent in 1995, but men still
                                                                                                                                           hold three quarters of seats. Men also hold 73
                                                                                                                                           percent of management positions and are 70
                                                                                                                                           percent of climate negotiators. Dr Shirin
                                                                                                                                           Sharmin Chaudhury was  appointed as the first
                                                                                                                                           woman Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad in April
                                                                                                                                           2013.
                                                                                                                                           With the power harnessed, women are claiming
                                                                                                                                           space and taking on leadership roles not only
                                                                                                                                           in feminist organizations. They are involving
                                                                                                                                           themselves in movements concerning social
                                                                                                                                           justice, making the connections between
                                                                                                                                           gender equality, climate justice, workers’
             the lowest in the world, as it came down to       Salma Ahmed and Mark McGillivray wrote a paper on World                     rights, racial equality and gender biasness.
             2.2% against the world average of 21.2%, which    Development that mentioned that over the period 1999–2009,                  Women as human rights defenders and
             was a refreshing achievement for a developing     the gap in average wages between men and women decreased                    activists often face hostility, physical attacks,
             nation.                                           by 31 percent and this was induced by education facilities for              harassment and intimidation. With limited
             In last year’s UN-ILO, State Minister for Foreign   women and enforcement of laws. Increasing women’s access to               access to education and healthcare, women
             Affairs, Shahriar Alam has said the gender        education has been shown to increase women’s labor force                    lack economic autonomy and are
             inequality has substantially come down in         participation rates; delay marriage and having children; and                under-represented and undervalued in a unit,     USAID’s agricultural mechanization activities have also
             Bangladesh.                                       leaves women less vulnerable to violence. Other studies reveal              family or society. The progress that has been    trained women as local service providers for such agricultural
             As per a report from the International Labor      another parallel trend, across all sectors. Women's wages do                made towards gender equality over the past       equipment as reapers and power tillers.
             Organization (ILO), “World Employment and         not rise as much and often fail to keep up with inflation                   quarter of a century, though slow and gradual,   The climate crisis reminds us of the need for alternative
             Social Outlook Trends 2020”, women's              causing a drop in real wages.                                               however significant and hopefully positive in    development pathways and solutions. Scaling up investments
             unemployment rate came down to 6.2% in 2019       As the world moves from capitalism into the era of talentism,               the upcoming years.                              in the care economy and ensuring that women benefit from
             from 6.6% in the previous year. Participation of   competitiveness on a national and on a business level is                   Legal reform, strengthening gender-responsive    new green jobs is crucial for such pathways to succeed.
             women in the labor market was 36.3% in 2019,      determined by the innovative capacity of a country or a                     social protection and public service delivery,   Additionally, experts suggest that women are more likely to
             whereas, male participation in the job market     company. In this new context, the integration of women into                 quotas for women’s representation, and
 1979), discrimination remains commonplace in   was 81.4% with a significant gap in between   the talent pool is a prerequisite.           support for women’s movements are all            become technology savvy as the future of businesses is
 law and practice. 131 countries have added 274   the numbers.  In the recent decades, women have increased their footprint in             strategies that have made a difference and       technology dependent.
 gender-related reforms to laws and regulations   This year, in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic   higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as   should be scaled up to the specific   According to a World Economic Forum report, women across
 over the past decade, however it is estimated that   took a toll on the progress curve. In fact, the   professional and managerial positions; women are offered   requirements aiding and abetting women to   the economic spectrum are more vulnerable than men to lose
                                                                                                                                                                                            their jobs to technology and their jobs remain at risk of job
 Though the gender wage gap probably dates to the   more than 2.5 billion women and girls live in   country's overall gender gap has widened by   lower remuneration relative to their share of the workforce.  accommodate their ventures.  automation more than men.
                                                                                                                                           BRAC and other beneficiary organisations such
 beginnings of civilization, it emerged as a political issue   countries with at least one discriminatory law on   0.7 per cent, said the report published on 31   To further ensure the flow of women empowerment, the Equal   as USAID are promoting economic growth   Given the present scenario, the 2030 Agenda is clear: Gender
 in the U.S. in the 1860s under the rallying cry of “Equal   the books. These statutes restrict women’s ability   March 2021. Still, Bangladesh is the only   Pay Platform launched by ILO and UN Women is promoting   while increasing women entrepreneurs. There   equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is a
 Pay for Equal Work.” Yet years later, women and girls live   to make decisions about marriage, divorce, and   South Asian nation in the top 100 countries   awareness of good practices for eradicating gender inequality   is an increasing number of women   goal in itself (Sustainable Development Goal 5) as well as a
 in a world of widespread gender inequality.  child custody; and to make choices about getting   which closed 71.9 percent of its overall gender   in wages, including legislation and mechanisms for dispute   entrepreneurs and retailers selling farming   catalyst for the achievement of all the other goals. Ultimately,
 It’s been 40 years since the adoption of the Convention   a job or starting a business, among others.  gap so far. Globally, gender parity is shifting   resolution; measures to advance women's leadership; wage   tools and supported a women entrepreneurs’   development will only be sustainable if its benefits accrue
 on all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW,   According to an UN report released in the year   into reverse this year for the first time since the   transparency; and access to data on wages and other benefits   equally in the society regardless of gender orientation.
 2020, the gender wage gap in Bangladesh was   World Economic Forum started measuring it.  disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, and migrant status.  boot camp for 80 female agro-entrepreneurs.



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