For leaders, activists, and civil citizens engaged in policy making and investment for sustainable development, a newly released UN Women publication provides valuable food for thought. Presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations this past October, the 2014 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development takes on the question of sustainable development from the perspective of gender equality, asserting the vital need to treat gender equality as a central issue in developing policies and actions geared toward achieving sustainability.
According to the World Survey, women and girls shoulder a heavier part of the burden when it comes to the social and economic consequences of climate change, due to factors such as the greater precariousness of women’s livelihoods; restrictions on their access to resources and land; and the expectations on them to secure food, water, shelter, and fuel for their families. Policy actions for sustainability must therefore address this imbalance in order to be truly effective. The World Survey outlines three key criteria to be used in assessing the gender equality impact of proposed policies: Do they support both women’s capabilities and their rights? Do they reduce the amount of unpaid care work for women, rather than increase it? And do they embrace the participation of women as leaders, decision makers, and actors in the move toward sustainability?
The 2014 World Survey includes chapters on food security, population dynamics, the green economy and care work, and investments in support of gender-responsive sustainable development. The full publication is available at UNWomen.org.
According to the World Survey, women and girls shoulder a heavier part of the burden when it comes to the social and economic consequences of climate change, due to factors such as the greater precariousness of women’s livelihoods; restrictions on their access to resources and land; and the expectations on them to secure food, water, shelter, and fuel for their families. Policy actions for sustainability must therefore address this imbalance in order to be truly effective. The World Survey outlines three key criteria to be used in assessing the gender equality impact of proposed policies: Do they support both women’s capabilities and their rights? Do they reduce the amount of unpaid care work for women, rather than increase it? And do they embrace the participation of women as leaders, decision makers, and actors in the move toward sustainability?
The 2014 World Survey includes chapters on food security, population dynamics, the green economy and care work, and investments in support of gender-responsive sustainable development. The full publication is available at UNWomen.org.