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The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) conducted the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) which gathered household data on men’s attitudes and practices in Brazil, Chile, Croatia, India, Mexico and Rwanda. The goal was to find out whether men are on board with the gender equality agenda and whether they are internalizing the messages and policies calling for greater equality.

In the report, men show great variation in their attitudes toward fatherhood, care giving, violence and existing gender equality policies. It is not a surprise, that one of the key findings is that educated men are more likely to “live” gender equality in their daily lives.

Rwandan and Indian men consistently supported the least equitable norms. For example, 61% of men in Rwanda and 81% in India agreed with the statement that “changing diapers and feeding children are the mother’s responsibility” whereas only 10% of Brazilians said the same. Shockingly, there are still 65% of men in India who think that “there are times when a woman deserves to be beaten.” India had also among the highest rates of men reporting intimate partner violence.

A significant sample of men across the countries reported feeling stress or depression due to insufficient income or a lack of work. Work-related stress was linked to the use of violence against their partners, alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts. Income and employment proved to be a key element in the men’s identity, self-esteem, sense of purpose in life and social relations. Full understanding of work-related stress could lead to better solutions to end domestic violence and to achieve gender equality.

The study even suggests that but there is a link between cooperative relationship (male partner’s participation in household work) and sexual satisfaction.

Overall, this survey affirms that men are evolving toward gender equality. Most do accept gender equality theoretically even if they are not living it yet. The study survey suggests that policies, programs and public education campaigns should be empathetic with men’s lived experiences and promote them as a gain for men, as well as for women.

Katerina Veverkova

The majority (56%) of the trafficked victims are women, mainly from developing countries sold by their families or friends; lured away with promises of employment, education and a better life; or simply kidnapped.

To prevent and combat trafficking, “destination countries” must work with “countries of origin”. Stronger laws with immediate enforcement and longer prison terms are needed. Community awareness and education programs for parents and teachers are key together with comprehensive training for grass-roots professionals who come into contact with trafficked women and girls.

Coalition building on the local level, between police, government and NGOs can help trafficking victims, for example by setting up shelters that provide psychological and vocational assistance and services.

Funding is fundamental for media campaigns to educate girls about the dangers of travel and trafficking and to offer vocational training to prevent poverty and thus trafficking.

Is trafficking a problem in your country? What could your NFA do at a local level to prevent trafficking?

Based on the contribution from Camille Macdonald-Polski

(More trafficking stats)

The major causes of maternal death are bleeding, infections, unsafe abortions, eclampsia, obstructed labour and indirect causes, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. Research shows that almost half of the births in developing countries take place without a skilled birth attendant.

Poverty and attitudes towards women negatively impact maternal mortality rates. Cultural or traditional practices often prevent women from seeking delivery or post-partum care.

Education and information on sexual and reproductive health are pivotal to improving maternal health. According to UNESCO, educating girls for six years or more drastically improves their prenatal/postnatal care and childbirth survival rates. Educated girls have higher self-esteem, are more likely to avoid HIV infection, violence and exploitation, and to spread good health and sanitation practices to their families and throughout their communities.

Literate women tend to marry later and are more likely to use family planning methods, which can limit maternal death rates of adolescents and deaths caused by unsafe abortions.

The Millennium Development Goal 5 calls for maternal mortality to be reduced by three quarters by 2015. Since the MDGs were adopted in 2000, the global maternal mortality ratio has barely changed and the probability of reaching this goal is quite low. India and China have made some progress while maternal death rates in Africa vary widely.

There is an urgent need to address maternal mortality. The right to health is a basic human right that should not be undermined.

Is maternal death a problem in your country? What is your government doing to improve the situation? Is your NFA involved in any educational projects to decrease maternal mortality?

Distorted sex ratios are unbalancing societies in many parts of the world. In China and northern India for example, for children born in the early 2000s, the imbalance has risen to 120 boys to 100 girls born. Similar tendencies can be found in other East Asian countries, including Taiwan and Singapore, and in former communist states in the western Balkans and the Caucasus. Wealth does not seem to be a factor; within China and India the areas with the worst ratios are the richest, best-educated ones.

When these children reach maturity, a shortage of brides will be evident. China for example will have as many unmarried young men as the entire population of young men in America. In many countries, rootless young males are associated with higher crime rates, bride trafficking and sexual violence. A study in China shows that higher sex ratios accounted for about one-seventh of the rise in crime.

Only South Korea has managed to reverse its cultural preference for sons. Female education, anti-discrimination suits and equal-rights rulings made “son preference” seem old-fashioned and unnecessary. Concerned countries should therefore promote actions that raise the value of girls through the encouragement of female education, the engagement of women in public life and the abolishment of laws and customs that prevent daughters inheriting property.

Is gender preference an issue in your country? What actions could IFUW together with its NFAs and other NGOs take to help protect baby girls in the regions concerned?

Pension systems are usually based on employment related contributions.  Women’s working patterns – long career breaks because of child rearing, part-time work , lower salaries and lower retirement ages – all result in reduced pension benefits.  Many women rely upon their partners for retirement income, but this is not always a secure option.  Coupled with their longer life expectancy,  these factors are forcing older women into the poorest demographic groups in many nations.

One solution would be for women to increase optional contributions to pension schemes, but during the economic downturn, fewer women can afford to save, especially those with dependent children.

Some developed countries try to compensate  for these differences through systems providing a universal minimum pension and credits for child rearing years. A few have even established pension schemes based on residence instead of employment or family work.

What is the situation in your country? How can the gender pension gap be addressed?  Most young women  do not think about the later impact of “lost” working years, lower salaries and part-time hours. How do you think women can build a financially secure future?

A recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), “Work and Family: Towards new forms of reconciliation with social co-responsibility”, suggests that reconciliation between work and family has to happen through social co-responsibility: “redistributing care responsibilities between men and women, as well as among the family, the State, the market and society as a whole”.

The report proposes measures ranging from alternating the time between work and family life (paternity leave, flexible working hours and work place), shifting tasks originally performed in the family sphere into the market and public services, and redistributing roles between women and men by fostering cultural change during primary education and within the family.

What is the situation in your country? Which measures, if any, are be used to encourage a work/family balance?

Source: “Work and Family: Towards new forms of reconciliation with social co-responsibility” (Decent work in Latin America and the Caribbean)