A collection of extracts on what’s being said about gender equality in our world.
Not One More: Help Global Citizen End Female Genital Mutilation
Global Citizen, n.d.
Today is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and we need your help to end FGM by 2030!
Jessica Lea/Department for International Development
FGM refers to the process of intentionally altering or injuring the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, posing serious consequences to women’s health — including severe bleeding, higher risk of HIV transmission, infections, infertility, complications in childbirth, and an increased risk of newborn deaths.
FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the fundamental human rights of girls and women, and reflects a deep-rooted sense of inequality between the sexes. Yet, it is estimated that at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.
Sign the petition to urge world leaders to #LeveltheLaw by enacting and supporting the implementation of laws that protect girls and criminalize FGM. Help end this harmful practice for good.
(Read more….)
Gender equality petition in Austria hits 100,000 signatures, will go to parliament
DW, Feb. 21, 2018
A petition calling for more gender equality is set for debate in Austria’s parliament. The women’s minister believes its goes “too far,” while coalition partners said it was a far cry from “sensible” feminist politics.
Petition organizers said on Wednesday that they had accrued the 100,000 signatures needed in Austria to force a parliamentary debate on their cause.
They say that gender inequality in Austria is glaring, pointing to it finishing 57th of 144 ranked countries — behind Poland, Uganda, Kazakhstan and Mongolia — in the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap Report, published last November.
Petition signers have been hampered by computer network breakdowns in the nationwide system coordinated by the Interior Ministry. The faults were also blamed for delays in a separate high-turnout Austrian petition calling for a total smoking ban in restaurants and pubs.
‘Great surprise’
Andrea Hladky and Schifteh Hashemi, spokeswomen for the petition campaign, told Austria’s Kurier newspaper on Wednesday that it was a “great surprise” to have already reached 100,000 signatures — not least given the technical difficulties and complex rules around the petition process.
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What can Iceland teach Europe about gender equality?
https://www.euronews.com/2018/02/23/what-can-iceland-teach-europe-about-gender-equality#
Recent developments in the news have shown that equal rights and opportunities for women, let alone basic respect for their bodies, is a battle that has yet to be won, even in what we thought were more advanced societies. Now that we know why and how women’s rights are more often trampled than not, we thought here at Insiders to look for counter examples and countries that are actually leading the way in gender equality and try to understand how they go about it.
In this edition of Insiders we are taking you to Iceland – a country that ranks number one when it comes to closing the gender gap – whether it be the pay gap, access to education, to health, to job opportunities and ensuring that both men and women can evenly share responsibilities as parents. As you’ll soon discover, it takes both strong laws (like making it illegal to pay women less than men) and education at the earliest age to achieve or at least get closer to achieving gender equality.
And what you’ll also find out is that gender equality actually makes for a better and thriving socio-economic and cultural environment for both men and women.
(Read more….)
Female representation had increased but remained well below the EU average, as did the gender pay gap
Ireland ‘among worst for gender equality’
Ireland is one of the worst countries in Europe for gender equality in politics and senior management roles, a report has revealed.
The state was ranked 12th out of 15 countries for the number of women in positions of power, in a study seen by The Times. There was “significant room for improvement” on the gender pay gap, for which it was ranked 10th.
The report by Social Justice Ireland, which will be published later today, measured Ireland’s economic, social and environmental progress against a number of United Nations sustainable goals that the country has committed to reaching.
(Read more….)