Gender Issues

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Traditional practices affecting the health of women and girls: a human rights issue. Also links to laws and gender equality

Gender Equity in Education in United States Additional resources

Association of College and Research Libraries
Women history sites—ancient, medieval, American, Canadian, International and other links that display in depth the role of women in global history

International Economic Development can help disadvantage women (Beijing Conference: 1995) The League of Women’s Voters

Report on Improving the status of women and girls from 1995 Beijing UN 4th World Conference on Women:

Women are under represented in international and national decision and policy-making bodies.
Adult women have not yet achieved the right to vote in all countries.
Only 24 women have been elected heads of state. In 1994, there are 10 women head of state the highest in history.
Women still do not occupy senior positions in the United Nations, such as serving in international peace and security, peacekeeping, disarmament, trade, investment or economic development.
1995 Human Development Report prepared by UN Development Program—Poverty emerged as "a markedly feminine phenomenon throughout the world"

Women are an overwhelming majority out of 1 billion people living in abject poverty.

States with crippling debt and undergoing internationally prescribed structural adjustment programs have reduced social expenditures and transferred social responsibilities to individuals, with disproportionately adverse impact on women.
Women earn less for comparable work.
Women are barred from certain forms of lucrative employment.
Women perform much of their work in the unpaid private sector including the rural sector.
Women accept jobs with little security.
Ownership and access to land, resources, capital and technology are barred by, legal barriers, including customary law.
Literacy rates worldwide are improving in all regions, but out of 960 million illiterate adults 2/3 are women. According to USAID in 2000 there is 130 million children of school age world wide with out access to education 73 million are girls with no access to primary and secondary education. (Symposium: 2000, 48)
Female infanticide and selective abortion of female fetuses have led to the claim that over 100 million women are missing.
80 million women worldwide are subject to female genital surgery.
HIV/Aids and Malnutrition affects millions of women in Africa alone.
80 per cent of the worlds’ refugees and displaced persons estimated by UNHCR to be women and children.
Violence against women according to the UN Special Rapporteur is located in three sites—the home, community and the state.

Source: (Hurrell: 1994, 96-97) (Hot link to Reference page)