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Beijing Platform for Action. Paragraph 155

2022-04-27

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2019/09/24

155. Insufficient attention to gender analysis has meant that women’s contributions and concerns remain too often ignored in economic structures, such as financial markets and institutions, labour markets, economics as an academic discipline, economic and social infrastructure, taxation and social security systems, as well as in families and households. As a result, many policies and programmes may continue to contribute to inequalities between women and men. Where progress has been made in integrating gender perspectives, programme and policy effectiveness has also been enhanced.

Beijing Declaration (1995)

Paragraph 155 of the Beijing Declaration provides an indication as to the consequences of the void of a gendered analysis or having, as such, a gendered lens in the perspective-taking on issues of economics and women’s rights becomes an absolute catastrophe simply and solely because men and women face different issues where women face a set of constructs blockading their progress in different areas than men. “Women’s contributions and concerns” become part of this inclusive analysis, in which there can be due consideration to said contributions and concerns.

Without them, the economic structural analysis can become one-sided leaving out some of the core facets of what makes an economy work and how the rise of women everywhere, more and more, has had colossal effects on economies around the world, where even women are the dominant economic force in some countries. That is to say, women comprise the majority of workers in the economy. Nonetheless, they may be stuck at the end of the low wage, part-time, precarious, poor working conditions, labour rights-violating, jobs seen around the world in various economies.

In spite of these barriers to entry or to the desirable jobs, women continue to persevere and overcome in these spheres. The suggested areas for an inclusive analysis of the “economic structures” with a “gender analysis” are “financial markets and institutions, labour markets, economics as an academic discipline, economic and social infrastructure, taxation and social security systems, as well as in families and households.”

The financial markets and institutions become a huge key player for a gendered analysis. And, as an aside, this is not to state that all of this simply means taking gender as the core analysis, but contextualizing other forms of economic and structural analyses within a gendered lens more often as this is appropriate in different environs. Labour market gender analysis may be the most pragmatic, especially in many countries in which women will be taking a hefty sum of the better jobs requiring more education. As has been noted, women dominate the educational world and have been acquiring the certifications necessary to pursue their dreams in these disparate domains. Labour is clearly showing a rise in the working woman and the ‘demise’ or mild decline of the working man.

In terms of economics as a discipline, orbiting disciplines of economics, including Heterodox Economics, can perform an important dual-function here as a means by which to critique some of the dominant structural assumptions in economics – “utility-maximization” – while also providing a unique critical lens on the areas lacking a gendered analysis. A gendered lens can be part of Heterodox Economics, in fact may be.

Policy and political structures can be adapted to meet the demands of the modern landscape of the economic needs of a fully-working population of men and women where about the same numbers of both continue to enter into the workplace. With this, naturally, the political demands and policy proposals will come to meet the demands, as such, and thus create a basis for structural changes. This can, as well, incorporate “taxation and social security systems.”

As stipulated, “As a result, many policies and programmes may continue to contribute to inequalities between women and men. Where progress has been made in integrating gender perspectives, programme and policy effectiveness has also been enhanced.” Where there is an inclusive orientation of a gendered analysis in economics, and on the proposals in programmes and in policies, there can be greater efficacy of gender-egalitarian efforts for those countries striving towards such aims – not all are.

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(Updated 2020-07-07, only use the updated listing, please) Not all nations, organizations, societies, or individuals accept the proposals of the United Nations; one can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights, and the important days and campaigns devoted to the rights of women and girls too:

Documents

Strategic Aims

Celebratory Days

Guidelines and Campaigns

Women and Men Women’s Rights Campaigners

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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.

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From → Chronology, Jacobsen's Bank, The Good Men Project

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