Despite recent advances in important aspects of the lives of girls and women, pervasive challenges remain, frequently as a result of widespread deprivations and constraints. These often violate women’s most basic rights and are magnified and multiplied by poverty and lack of education. Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity distills vast data and hundreds of studies to shed new light on such constraints facing women and girls worldwide, from epidemic levels of gender-based violence to biased laws and norms that prevent them from owning property, working, and making decisions about their own lives. Building on the landmark 2012 World Development Report, it focuses on several areas key to women’s empowerment: freedom from violence, control over sexual and reproductive health and rights, ownership and control of land and housing, and voice and collective action. It explores the power of social norms in dictating how men and women can and cannot behave—deterring women from owning property or working even where laws permit, for example, because those who do become outcasts.
The report argues that policymakers and stakeholders need to tackle this agenda, drawing on evidence about what works and systematically tracking progress: This must start with reforming discriminatory laws and follow through with concerted policies and public actions, including multi-sectoral approaches that engage men and boys and challenge adverse social norms. Expanding opportunities and amplifying the voices of women and girls isn’t a zero-sum equation because gender equality conveys broad development dividends for men and boys, families, and communities. Conversely, constraining women’s agency by limiting what jobs they can do or condoning gender-based violence can severely hinder efforts to end poverty and boost inclusive growth. Finally, the report argues that more and better data are needed to measure progress and hold governments and development agencies to account.
Download free PDF: http://wrld.bg/CNQwn
Despite recent advances in important aspects of the lives of girls and women, pervasive challenges remain, frequently as a result of widespread deprivations and constraints. These often violate women’s most basic rights and are magnified and multiplied by poverty and lack of education. Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity distills vast data and hundreds of studies to shed new light on such constraints facing women and girls worldwide, from epidemic levels of gender-based violence to biased laws and norms that prevent them from owning property, working, and making decisions about their own lives. Building on the landmark 2012 World Development Report, it focuses on several areas key to women’s empowerment: freedom from violence, control over sexual and reproductive health and rights, ownership and control of land and housing, and voice and collective action. It explores the power of social norms in dictating how men and women can and cannot behave—deterring women from owning property or working even where laws permit, for example, because those who do become outcasts.
The report argues that policymakers and stakeholders need to tackle this agenda, drawing on evidence about what works and systematically tracking progress: This must start with reforming discriminatory laws and follow through with concerted policies and public actions, including multi-sectoral approaches that engage men and boys and challenge adverse social norms. Expanding opportunities and amplifying the voices of women and girls isn’t a zero-sum equation because gender equality conveys broad development dividends for men and boys, families, and communities. Conversely, constraining women’s agency by limiting what jobs they can do or condoning gender-based violence can severely hinder efforts to end poverty and boost inclusive growth. Finally, the report argues that more and better data are needed to measure progress and hold governments and development agencies to account.
Download free PDF: http://wrld.bg/CNQwn