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Achieving gender equality is a precondition for the eradication of poverty
Sunday, 2019/05/19 | 07:02:27
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IFAD 08 May 2019 How do women contribute to rural economies?Whether paid or unpaid, women undertake a wide range of tasks in rural contexts and this contribution to rural economies is often undervalued. They manage natural resources, adopt climate-resilient agricultural approaches, preserve biodiversity, all while striving to ensure nutrition security and agricultural productivity. However, there is no gender equality. Despite being regularly excluded from decisions that affect their daily lives and despite being hindered by unequal resource allocation, rural women are fundamental within and outside their households. They are entrepreneurs and community leaders, they are innovators and change makers, they are agents of change for themselves, their families and their communities. They rise each morning and fight against the odds, working and growing food in some of the world’s toughest and most challenging conditions: a changing climate, food and water insecurity, isolation from roads and markets, conflicts… Aside from the perception of these contributions, would you say that women’s positions in rural labor are globally improving?Rural women work as farmers, wage earners and entrepreneurs and they represent an important share of the agricultural workforce. But unfortunately, their work is still largely unrecognized or undervalued, and this situation is not showing much noticeable improvement. They are concentrated in the informal economy, on family farms or in low-skilled, low-productivity, and low-paid jobs with long working hours. And they cope with the heavy burden of unpaid care and domestic work. When paid and unpaid working hours are combined, women work much longer hours than men. How is gender equality a key component to the reduction of rural poverty and to the improvement of food security?Increasing gender equality is a precondition for the eradication of rural poverty, it is vital to meeting the challenge of improving food and nutrition security. In economies where gender equality is greater in terms of both opportunities and benefits, there is higher economic growth and a better quality of life. Equality helps reduce chronic hunger, leads to longer-lasting peace, benefits entire families and empowers all those who face discrimination. When we address gender inequality and remove the underlying barriers for women and girls, we unlock the potential for all people—men, women, boys, and girls—to be equally valued. “Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls” (Goal 5 of the Global Goals) is essential to reaching all the goals and targets set in the 2030 Agenda. According to you, what are the main obstacles to women’s empowerment in rural economies?The challenges in access to assets, inputs, services, as well as access to profitable markets, increase the gender productivity gap. Unequal distribution of daily workload and the unequal voice in decision-making at all levels also affects women’s empowerment. Differentiated nutrition and health problems, vulnerability to climate change and external shocks, as well as daily gender-based discrimination and violence are additional obstacles. However, at the heart of these inequalities lie discriminatory social norms – reflected in attitudes, behaviours, policies and laws that hold women and girls back. We need to address the root causes of gender inequalities by using a gender transformative approach which goes beyond merely focusing on women’s economic empowerment.
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