CSW55 High Level Round Tables
22 February 2011
Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work.
Between the opening and closing remarks, various countries including Canada presented five-minute reports on the progress of their country on those goals, and two speakers including one representing IFUW gave seven-minute comments.
Fortunato de la Pena - Philippines, Opening Remarks
Even in countries with a high percentage of educated women, there are fewer involved in the areas of science and technology. Socio-cultural attitudes have a high influence but can be mitigated by:
Gender budgeting for women in science and technology
Role models in science and technology at higher education levels
Gender lens on the teaching of science and technology
biodiversity
"But it took 100 years before the Philippines had a woman dean of science."
"We should integrate gender goals in all practices whether it is land ownership and modern practices or increased access to technical education. I encourage all of you to read our report and to partner with us in these efforts."
Presentations by Member States
Greece:Role of Gender mainstreaming
Importance of NGO work and working with the NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
Using the university and mainstreaming in the universities
Democracy and human rights for women and younger women, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa
Qatar:
Have literacy program, program for civil servants, and another to integrate women into the educational system. Established in 2008 - 2009, it is now being widely applied. Goal: to apply the common good to all.
Barbados:
"Education is the engine of the country's development and is not just a human right but a human need."
Women are still under-represented at the highest levels of science and technologies. " We are here to see how we can address this problem."
(On behalf of Minister for Status of Women) Canada:
Canada recognizes the relation between women in science and techology and the economy. The provinces are better placed to provide training for women. We are seeking to ensure that women get jobs in science, technology and in trades.
"Women Building Futures" program in Alberta helps marginalized women get jobs.
South Africa:
Contrast in training in education, science and technology has led to strategies for girls to have greater access and opportunities including "second chance opportunities." Leads to increase in skilled technicians, technologists and scientists among women. It boosts the participation of girls in particular in math and science and also in technology.
Initiatives target rural and marginalized areas where women predominate the populations.
Norway:
Focus on mainsrteaming women and girls with disabilities. They are especially vulnerable in all areas of the MDGs such as reproductive rights, education etc. Why do we accept discrimination against children with disabilities? The access of children to primary education must also address the issue of children with disabilities. High-skill labour will replace low-skill jobs in the future.
Zimbabwe:
Bring on board the women already in the skilled market but who need updates and bringing ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) to their lives. Marketing help is needed to help women's economic activities.
Cameroon:
Government has support programs designed to boost educational excellence, Education for All, training of women in ICTs, programs for girls and women, scholarships, retention of girls in subjects where they often drop out, education for women who lack it, non-traditional areas for women and literacy centres. Evaluation is pending.
Education was restored under current governnment. But the rate for women is only 21% for women. Primary Education: 29% for girls and 43% for boys. Literacy rates are narrowing but are still not acceptable. In some rural areas only 1% of girls get to go to school but in the city up to 64% attend.
Challenges: access to education for girls - predicted to be a problem for up to 12 years; higher education for girls; education for employment for women.
Belgium:
Women are under-represented in higher education, and suffer pay equity issues in the job market. Have organized Girls' Days to bring the possibilities of science and technological jobs to girls. Are also developing gender experts in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. There is a goal of ensuring that girls become more interested in IT and scientific jobs. Sexual stereotying is still there.
Nicaragua:
Efforts to eliminate sex stereotyping. Education has been decreed free and thousands of girls and boys now have access to schools. Many girls used to be kept home to do domestic labour. Have training schools for parents to promote equality in the family.
Argentina:
Set up a Ministry of Science and Technology and a plan introducing gender mainstreaming. We need to improve gender equality and retrain women in science and technology - e.g. in health fields. We have more women in university jobs but not in leadership and decision-making roles. Scholarships are available for women, and financial helpis available for pregnant students.
Lithuania:
Have a woman Prime Minister and gender mainstreaming is present in all areas. Gender equality issues are high on the agenda. Women leaders from all over the world are invited to share their experiences and best practices.
Tanzania:
Government is addressing the Priority Theme including gender imbalance in science, mathematics and technology. There are interventions that have increased women's enrolment in engineering, enhanced number of women in positions of leadership in parliament and the Speaker is a woman. The Central Government has to have the political will.
(Minister of Education in) Niger:
Improvement to 63% of girls going to school in 2010 from 32% in 2000. In communities, they introduced intervention zones by giving subsidies so that women could earn money while having their girls in school; kits to get women teachers into schools in rural areas to become role models so that mothers would let their girls go to school. Developed books free of gender stereotypes to encourage girls to go into science fields. At secondary level, host families receive incentives to board girls so that they can receive higher education.
Finland:
Too little attention to girls with disabilities - mental or physical - and they need to be mainstreamed into the education programs. Have program work in more than 30 countries in Africa in order to promote girls' education - e.g. girls' dormitories to allow safe environment; Sports for All program in Tanzania to encourage girls to participate in sports along with the boys.
Guatemala:
There has been progress in science and technology,and for women participating in municipal politics. We consider that the work of women in science and technology is lagging behind in comparison with other countries. Many schools have free education but the country only started to invest in that area three years ago. Girls of age 17 in indigenous and rural areas have had only four years of education. Sexual and reproductive education is non-existent and we need more radical policies to change the situation.
Gabon:
Majority have basic education because school is compulsory from age 6 to 16, but at secondary level, more boys are enrolled. Girls who are not well-off drop out. Nurseries and kindergartens help rural and low-income women to do vocational training and not worry about child care. Women have access to employment. More girls are starting to attend vocational schools in technological areas of study. Women are encouraged to take advantage of micro-credit and to take advantage of innovative programs of training.
Botswana:
CSW work influences access to services such as electricity that can give women access to computers. There is a need to encourage women to excel in science, mathematics, technology and engineering.
Timor:
There are 20,000 competing for only 400 jobs. Support Education for All. Want to expand secondary attendance for girls. Target for 2016 is to address gender imbalance in school. Having women teachers is a strategy.
Paraguay:
Set up a program for sex education through the Ministry that includes HIV/AIDs. Goal to provide the program for all, and the aim is to include non-discrimination. It was criticized by churches, parent groups etc. These critics feel the program should be amended. They feel they were not included in the process and they do not want the topic of same-sex marriage to be addressed. The Ministry feels it needs to be addressed in the educational system and would like to hear from other countries on this.
Pakistan:
Strong constitutional guarantees for education for women and girls applies. Important initiatives and steps are: acknowledgement of CEDAW; program established in 2002 that has helped over 2 million women; curriculum and texts are the same in all areas whether rural or urba;, secondary education for girls in rural areas with incentives such as free texts, increased numbers of teachers, zero tolerance for corporal punishment. Gender equality is a cross-cutting issue.
Mexico:
Recommendations of the MDGs have given guidance to planning and educational programs. The number of women in participation in education does not match the economic percentages. Have affirmative action, programme for single mothers to go to school, have child care for women students, programme for mothers who are studying. Encourage paternity licences. Micro credit goes to rural women.
Egypt:
National Council for Women in Egypt since 2001 has promoted gender equality that seeks to combat school drop-outs of girls and the results are encouraging. Outstanding program for training women.
New Zealand:
Thanked the members for messages following the devastating earthquake in Christchurch.
Now have a generation of women with higher education than men, especially in areas such as the law. Child care, the tax system and other supports have helped.
Khuzestan:
Has reached goal of equal access for primary education. There is free, compulsory secondary education. Financing of education has been increased tenfold over the past decade. Now we are interested in improving the quality of the education. Started education of Afghan students. One thousand will get secondary education.
El Salvadore:
Cannot talk about quality education but can talk about steps to achieve it. Have increased school lunch programs in rural areas where girls did not attend because they did not have anything to eat. Considerable illiteracy in rural areas and high rates of pregnancies amongst girls. Introducing tools for non-sexist education. Violence and discrimination against girls have led to efforts to combat such abuse. Girls get training in human and women's rights.
(Director of National Institute of Women in) Uruguay:
Plan for better access to primary and secondary education and equal opportunity. Gave credit to UNESCO. Promote responsible fatherhood and non-sexist attitudes. Promote gender perspective.
Ireland:
Free secondary and university education still leaves a gap in the sectors of science, mathematics and technology. Support for regular as well as more gifted students. Promote new teacher training programs in mathematics and science and all teachers receive gender perspective training.
Invited Guests from Podium
Barbara Bailey from Jamaica - Gender Expert
Reminder that every UN Conference since 1980 has identified education as the tool for achieving gender equality. This conference must be referenced to a human rights perspective: right to education, rights within education - free choice in science and technology, right to a safe environment, rights of opportunity beyond school - combat patriarchal norms that determine rights.
Women's right to education has been widely realized.
Women's right to tertiary education is not widely realized, leading to serious results in the workplace.
Women's right through education is not realized. Women represent low levels of employment, earn less than men, and are disproportionately represented in various areas of work.
Therefore data of women's achievements are perhaps deceptive
.
What accounts for these patterns?
Feminization of education relates to the BPA (Beijing Platform for Action) and other conferences that identified strategic goals for women and girls. Education and reduced fertility are important factors in women's economic progress.
But there is a sex-division of labour - with men delegated to the public domain and women to the private domain. This divide extends to the schools.
This global anomoly goes back to the patriarchal nature of its definition. The role of men, particularly in the private domain, has not changed. "Men as bread winners" is a paradigm that is unfortunately global.
Even with equal qualifications, women still lag behind. As women push for change, the patriarchal system pushes back.
Re Priority Theme:
Paying fields can only be equal if care in the domestic domain is given. Teachers are sometimes our own worst enemies.
Patronage has to be challenged in order to protect women.
Transformation can only come about if there is political will on th BPA, CEDAW and the MDGs. Need equal pay for work of equal value.
I urge each of you to pressure your Governments to provide the legal and financial support to make these changes possible.
Joy Carter - IFUW - from Winchester University
Education is important for social and economic development. But speakers have highlighted the depth of improvement that is still required. "We women are kidding ourselves. It's still a man's world" is the headline in a UK newspaper yesterday.
Much still needs to be done, and statistics can hide the problem. Need to drill down to disaggregated data.
At what stage does the schooling go wrong?
Need better science teaching at every stage and from the earliest stages. We need role models throughout the educational system.
Need inventive use of e-technology and child care. We need progress for the disabled.
Fortunato de la Pena - Philippines, Concluding Remarks
(Summing up what he heard from the Round Table presentations)
Need an environment where women can balance work and family
More women in graduate programs does not mean lack of sex-stereotyping - NGO role here
Use of innovation in education - more women in non-traditional vocations, especially in science and ICT
Opportunities in entrepreneurship - enterprises that have women in micro-economics sector - but promotion to leadership positions lacking
Special support in the non-traditional economic sectors
Content of curricula, training of parents
Creation of country high-level advisory boards etc. is important
No comments:
Post a Comment