SWOT Analysis
With the stakeholder analysis in mind, we spent the rest of the day hammering out a SWOT analysis of IFUW. SWOT stands for Strengths and Weaknesses (internal elements) and Opportunities and Threats (external factors).
To best understand the external factors, our fantastic facilitator, Jane, used the world PESTLES, to start us off analyzing what was going on outside IFUW. We had to look at the main trends in the following areas:
P – Political
E – Economical
S – Social
T – Technological
L – Legal
E – Environments
S – Sector
There was a lot of input in all these areas but the main outcomes were:
Mortar and Pestle
Political: There are freedom revolutions ongoing. Fundamentalism and right wing is growing bringing less political will to close the poverty and equality gap. We live in a fast changing world where economics is more important than politics. Youth is not so interested in existing political structures and need new ways of engaging. There is also a lack of trust in the political system.
Economical: There is a trend towards more privatization of education bringing a risk of an economically driven curriculum. This could mean reduced standard and equality of education. Economic crisis resulted in more people educated but no guarantee for jobs/careers. The gap between rich and poor is widening. Women are less likely to be invested in when money is short.
Social: Violence against women is growing. Smart girls are less fashionable and girls are more into the modeling careers and making quick money rather than into schools (there is a lack of good role models). Schools do not help teenage pregnant girls to complete their educational ladder. Trafficking of schoolgirls is also a problem. The economical crisis brought a shift in choices of studies from humanities to vocational oriented subjects. Social trends differ, of course, from country to country regarding women’s age, status, class etc.
Technological: Technology has brought a lot of positive changes such as Wi-fi, E-books, remote and distance learning. But the digital divide has grown in certain countries too because of limited access to technology. The use of technology reduces genuine communication and social interaction.
Legal: More women are educated in law but only a few are in partnerships and are more likely to be assigned minor jobs. More women are appointed as judges, have access to supreme court, but reality is that only few of them are members of courts of appeal and the glass ceiling is very present. There is a scarcity of “free” legal services and it is difficult to access the law especially for poor women. There is legislation on violence against women but there is a problem with implementation. Privacy law needs to be balanced – to protect the rights of individuals but also for those who are unable to realise their rights. Traditional/customary law can affect women negatively.
Environments: Climate change affects everything, education included. Desertification, lack of water, lack of land, flooding could force students to relocate. The earth is running out of resources and the right of water is questioned with privatization of water. We need alternative ways to solve the climate change problems… women are innovative!
Sector: In the Human Rights sector the negative trends for women is the impact of Arab springs e.g. there is a risk of formation of new establishment that will cut off women (women will not have a role), could impact on birth control and family planning programmes. In education the impact of increased fees of higher education in many cases could affect girls less than boys. On the positive side, the creation of UN Women and the increased use of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) could help promote the rights of women.
Nina Joyce & Réka Fogarasi
I’m not at all sure that the impact of higher fees for higher education will have less impact on girls and women as suggested above. As a group, women are less well off than men so any increase in cost for a desired item affects them more. Also, when education becomes more expensive, parents often have to choose which of their children will get it and in many cultural and social groups the education of boys is considered the better investment.
I would like to add that, as fundamentalism is growing and the right wing is getting stronger in some societies the cultural and traditional reflexes are surfacing. Taking advantage of this atmosphere, in most parts of the developping world including Turkey, men are encouraged to suppress women in every ways. This includes violence, unjust treatemnt in work, intimidation , economic depravation and so on. Therefor even if the legal system is in place to protect women’s rights, if there is no strong and secular Political will, women will not benefit economically, technologically, socially or education wise.
I would like to add to Ayden’s views that in many of the developing countries, the religious and cultural systems still tends to consider women as the one who needs to be dominated. There exists a strong disrespect to acknowledge her cognitive abilities and a fear that they must never superceed men in any way. The attitude to keep women under suppression results in various forms of violence, unfair and unjust treatment in the public and professional life. With extensive legal system designed to protect women’s rights and dignity not much has been actually achieved. What is required is awareness, free expression and documentation of actual situations with a sincere political will to help women survive with respect and benefit in every possible way in her society.
I agree that religion and culture are still huge inhibitors to gender equality and women’s empowerment. This was most evident in New York at CSW this year where the Holy See and some of the Middle East and North African countries (the majority with male representatives) tried to pull back on ground we had made in Beijing and at other past UN forums that recognise the importance of women’s reproductive rights and control over their bodies. It is tragic that there could not be agreement on an outcomes document. Fortunately some excellent resolutions were passed that will help us move forward, and particularly agreements in relation to rural women.
Shirley Randell
CIR RAUW
Leader IFUW UN CSW 56 2012 Team
I feel sad by the fact that religion and tradition continue to work against the interests of women especially in the area of control over their bodies. It is so fundamental that we cannot and we will not stop demanding for this right until we have full control. So many women die in Nigeria dailly because they do not have access to affordable medical facilities and more importantly because abortion is illegal in my country. young women, even married women find it difficult to access these facilities and end up in Quack hospitals or resolve to self medication with severe consequences.