Beijing Platform for Action

1. Beijing Platform for Action

2. What is it? • The Beijing Platform for Action took place in 1995 • It is an agenda for woman's’ empowerment • It hopes to remove all obstacles that at the moment do not allow woman equality in both public and private life • Shared responsibility and power between men and women in the home, workplace, and wider national and international communities

3. Rights • Equality between the sexes is a matter of human rights • It is a fundamental prerequisite for equality, freedom and peace • The Beijing Platform is an extension of the Vienna Declaration and programme for action • The platform seeks to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights

4. continued • The platform emphasizes that share common concerns that can only be addressed when working in partnership with men towards the common goal of gender equality around the world. • It respects and values the full diversity of women’s situations and conditions • It recognizes that some women face barriers to this

5. Areas of concern • The persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women • Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to education and training • Violence against women • Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services • The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation

6. continued • Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and in access to resources • Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels • Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women • Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women • Persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child

7. 2005 • The committee met again in 2005 to review the aims of the original document. In this conference the role of men and boys was examined in ending gender-based violence. • It found that although many improvements had been made a lot was still to be done.

8. Improvements • 1997 the USA granted over 10,000 loans worth $67 billion to women business owners • Cameroon, Niger and Madagascar identified women as specific targets in their national poverty education programmes • Sengal conducted gender training for senior decision makers to mainstream a gender perspective into sectoral development planning

9. Global Dimension • The UN organisation and development fund for women argues that feminised poverty is one of the major issues facing the world today • Feminised poverty is: the idea that women become and remain poor as a result of their gender. The UN state • “since poverty traps women in multiple layers of discrimination and hinders their ability to claim rights; ending feminised poverty has always been a core UNIFEM priority”

10. World economy • Women do poorly from the world economy • They are paid less for doing the same job • They often get the lowest paid jobs • They do not receive the same social benefits (pensions) • More likely to be exploited in the work place • Under represented in political system • They have to combine working and running a household • Physical violence from partners who feel threatened

11. Continued • Over 1.5 billion people living on $1 a day are women • On average women earn 50% less than men • Women are denied access to their land and inheritance

12. Questions • Explain what the Beijing Platform is trying to achieve • What is meant by Feminised poverty? • What evidence does the UN give for the existence of Feminised poverty?

13. Websites • The following websites are useful for extra information and revision • www.un.org/womanwatch/daw/followup/sessioin/presskit • www.un.org/womanwatch/daw/beijing/platform/plat1.htm#statement • www.humanism.org.uk

14. Feminism • What is a feminist? • What image do you conjure up of a feminist? • In pairs discuss the two questions and write down your answers

15. Germaine Greer • Germaine Greer is a famous femininst • She states that she wants: • “nothing less than completely equal footing for woman with men in everything and everywhere” • feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women.

16. continued • They have shown through various protests and papers that they do not accept domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence. • They back equality within the work place and back equal pay and working rights. • They believe in the Equal opportunities commission • They back the Beijing platform as although in Britain we do have government acts in place they are not always followed and women in the wider world are often totally unsupported

17. Women and the media • Feminist would argue that painting a negative image of both men and women in the media is damaging for a number of reasons • Firstly it reinforces traditional roles and does not allow for change • Using both sexes to sell products is exploitative and treating them as sex objects • It puts pressure on people to live up to them • Women are being portrayed negatively and so treated this way.

18. Humanist • Humanists support personal freedom this must involve allowing everyone opportunities and choices in the worlds education, employment and home. • Girls and woman should not have restricted roles imposed upon them, but neither should they feel they have to do everything. • Men should also feel as though they have the option to stay at home and look after the children if they want. • Within Humanists organisations men and women are treated equally.

19. QUOTE • “..discrimination becomes something unfair and harmful when it stops people flourishing by making a big issue out of unimportant or irrelevant differences…if we are all to be happy and prosper, every individual needs the chance to flourish and play a part in society. Society loses out if we prevent some of its members from contributing for no good reason, and it is in everyone's interest to oppose prejudice and discrimination, not just those on the receiving end of it. If we treated people of all kinds with respect, the world would be a more peaceful and happy place.”

20. Questions • “you cannot be a religious person and a feminist” • How accurate is this statement? (4KU, 4AE) • Should a Religious person support the idea of woman going out to work? (6AE)