Contents
- What to be done?
Pursuant to the Company ‘ s Council declarations during the last session and harmonizing to your instructions to me to explicate a new policy for the company that takes into consideration the sweetening of gender mainstreaming scheme adopted by the council, and after audiences with the interested parties I am presenting to you this study which elaborates and suggests new policies on the issue of gender mainstreaming which -as I hope- will get down a new epoch in our company distinguished by complete gender equality and equity.
What is Gender Mainstreaming?
United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ) defined the construct of gender mainstreaming as follows: “ Mainstreaming a gender position is the procedure of measuring the deductions for adult females and work forces of any planned action, including statute law, policies or programmes, in any country and at all degrees. It is a scheme for doing the concerns and experiences of adult females every bit good as of work forces an built-in portion of the design, execution, monitoring and rating of policies and programmes in all political, economic and social domains, so that adult females and work forces benefit every bit, and inequality is non perpetuated. The ultimate end of mainstreaming is to accomplish gender equality. ”
To clear up the construct, gender mainstreaming does n’t intend the add-on of the adult female constituent or the interest for gender equality merely ; it looks to the thought of bettering both work forces and adult females ‘ s capablenesss and prosecuting both into the development procedure with new experiences, cognition and involvements.
Adopting the gender mainstreaming – in any establishment and on any level-means the preparedness to follow and implement new working schemes, ends and activities that enable both work forces and adult females to act upon the development procedure.
Historical Background
The gender mainstreaming construct was put on the path chiefly in the old ages of 1970 ‘ s and beyond as a consequence of the battle of the women’s rightist anterooms which was active throughout the universe. These attempts were embodied in the Third United Nations World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985 in which the integrating of adult females in the development mainstream was emphasized: “ Womans should be an built-in portion of the procedure of specifying purposes and determining development… Organizational and other agencies which enable adult females to lend their involvements and penchants into the rating and choice of alternate development ends should be identified. This would include specific steps which are conceived in such a manner that the liberty of adult females is enhanced so that they bring adult females into the mainstream of the development procedure on the same footing as work forces. ” ( UN, 1986 ) .
This was followed by presenting the gender mainstreaming as a scheme at the international degree in the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in which the member provinces were obliged to develop a gender mainstreaming policies as a portion of their national schemes at all degrees: “ Governments and other histrions should advance and active and seeable policy of mainstreaming a gender position in all policies and programmes so that before determinations are taken, an analysis is made of the effects on adult females and work forces, severally. ” ( UN, 1996 ) . After that the issue continued to take portion and to be discussed in the particular conferences held by the UN and its different variety meats.
A major constituent in any scheme for gender mainstreaming is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ( CEDAW ) which looks for better life conditions for adult females in comparing to work forces as a corner rock in the procedure of gender mainstreaming. CEDAW was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entered into force on September 1981. Today, 186 provinces are parties to CEDAW ( OHCHR, 2009 )
The Situation on Land
Despite all the calls for the gender mainstreaming and equality between work forces and adult females, the facts on land are amazing and dissatisfactory and adult females still considered to be “ marginalized group ” or “ minority ” and still off from the existent development accomplishments. For illustration: “ Of the universe ‘ s 1 billion poorest people, three-fifths are adult females and misss. Of the 876 million grownups in the universe who can non read, two-thirds are adult females. Women employed in industries and services typically earn 78 per centum of what work forces earn in the same sector. Although adult females provide about 70 per centum of the unpaid clip spent caring for household members, their part to the planetary economic system remains undervalued. Their predicament is made even worse by the fact that between 10 and 50 per centum of grownup adult females have experienced force at the custodies of spouses. Furthermore, adult females bear the brunt of physical and psychological agony during and after armed struggle and other signifiers of crises: an estimated 80 per centum of the universe ‘ s 35 million refugees and displaced people are adult females and kids, peculiarly vulnerable to sexual force. In sub-Saharan Africa, 55 per centum of those populating with HIV/AIDS are adult females, and new HIV infections are disproportionately concentrated among younger adult females who have small instruction. ” ( UNDP, 2003 )
These Numberss presents the fact that the gender mainstreaming as a development scheme to authorise both work forces and adult females must be preceded by particular attending and significant stairss for the benefit of adult females that can cut down the spread between the two genders and analogue to it implementing the mainstreaming policies.
Womans in Local Labor Market
Like their opposite numbers in many countries of the universe, adult females in Palestine suffer many obstructions in their manner for work or for publicity in their work. Most of these obstructions come from societal and spiritual backgrounds in the society that still enrooting in the society as a heritage from coevals to the wining one. Womans still forbidden from working by rule, sometimes from particular sorts of work and other times they work and work for many old ages in the same place with wages lower than that of their work forces counter parts and without any publicity.
Of class there is some alterations were done and adult females are now more engaged in the labour market but still we are still off from carry through the demands for the gender mainstreaming scheme.
To accomplish the gender mainstreaming rules, I would propose the acceptance of a policy which combines the processs for adult females empowerment to make equity with the rights given to work forces and at the same degree get downing the mainstreaming procedure as authorization for both genders. Department for International Development ( DFID ) in the UK suggests a way that combines such a twin-track scheme as follows:
DFID gender mainstreaming scheme ( Moser, C. 2005 )
As it is clear in the diagram, following such scheme in our company is good on two degrees:
Authorization of adult females: signifier which we regain the lost energy by the feminist elements in the work which is loosed when they lack the needful experience to carry through their undertakings harmonizing to what was expected during planning. For the adult females themselves it is besides better -economically and experience- when they are better empowered in their work each individual in his field.
Equality: Both work forces and adult females are empowered and this builds Bridgess of trust and cooperation between the two parties and encourages for more productive work outcomes. Both work forces and adult females will experience no sense of prejudice against him for the benefit of the other.
Why Gender Mainstreaming?
It is often asked by the determination shapers, why shall we follow gender mainstreaming scheme? Why to pass money for activities for gender mainstreaming and employees empowerment? If the current state of affairs is acceptable for those who are working and for the society why should I care for a new policies? …
Gender mainstreaming came to the scene as a consequence of discord for those who were confronting the subjugation for old ages and old ages and they asked for their benefit and the others besides to be on the same path and treated as major constituent in the societies non a marginalized herds. So this strife lead to set the gender mainstreaming on the path in order to accomplish the following purposes -all or some of them: ( UNDP, 2007 )
Justice and Equality:
Major constituent of today ‘ s ‘ universe policies is the call for democracy which puts all the society constituents in one degree and handle them every bit in all chances including the employment chances, publicity to all degrees in the work, wages equal to those of their opposite numbers and truly honor the attempt done for the undertakings.
Human rights issue besides is a major constituent in the justness rule. About all the states are parts in the different international conventions for human rights and they must carry through the duties for these conventions ( like CEDAW and Universal Declaration of Human Rights ) . Countries who are parties in these conventions will be responsible for the execution of these convention at all degrees including the private sector. Article 11 of CEDAW discusses all the issues related to the favoritism against adult females in employment field get downing from the right of same employment chances and choice standards, the right of publicity and security in the work, the right of benefits and health care, and the right of non to be discriminate against because of the pregnancy grounds.
Because human rights are standards to measure the civilisation of today ‘ s states, we advice to stay for these constructs.
Credibility and Accountability:
For any attempt to be believable, it must take into consideration both constituents of the society when each constituent is about half of the community, so smart decision-maker will take into history the chances of both sexes in employment, publicity and all working rights.
Accountability reflects the will of the decision-maker of being concerned for the development of both sexes and that his company is portion of the development plans that is adopted by the authoritiess nationally and worldwide.
Efficiency and Sustainability:
The battle of both adult male and adult females in all procedures will give more efficient results that is merely one side is taken into history. Both will be portion of the long term development procedure which will be an accumulative procedure ensuing in sustainable development for the company which in bend is a portion signifier the whole development procedure of the state, so the development in the company is good for the company itself, the employees from both sexes and the state every bit good.
Quality of Life:
Authorization is good for both adult male and adult females on the economical degree and so for the quality of life. If a adult male and his married woman are working in well-paid occupations, this will be reflected on the whole household life degrees and members.
One may believe that adult females will be the donees from this authorization and equality with their work forces opposite numbers. This is true ; but what should be added is that the better the state of affairs for adult females ; the better the life of their milieus and reverse is besides true: when adult females suffer bad work environment their surrounding will endure like them.
Alliance:
Gender mainstreaming policies are earnestly taken into consideration during our work with many international participants particularly the western 1s. Any partnership or shared undertakings, they will take into consideration our committedness towards the gender mainstreaming ; so implementing the gender mainstreaming in our company will ease to us the enlargement into foreign markets or convey foreign investings to our state in association with our company.
Chain Chemical reaction:
All the points above are composing a concatenation reaction that one will take to the other which in the long term will ensue in a existent long lasting development for the company and as the company is portion of the community the community will demo a long lasting development.
Obstacles that may confront Gender Mainstreaming
Adopting the gender mainstreaming as scheme is a healthy signal for the development of both the company and the employees. On our procedure of traveling frontward in implementing the policies we may confront different obstructions that are emerging from our presence in an eastern community with eastern civilization that plays an of import function in determining the relation between the work forces and adult females.
Social Obstacles:
The relation between work forces and adult females in our community is drawn by the same thoughts which were inherited from the old coevalss:
Most of the clip households refuse the thought of the work of their girls because it seems like a shame for them.
Others do believe that adult females will merely be homemakers in their hereafter and this is the lone undertaking for adult females.
The thought of the adult females to often go forth the place is besides refused
The work -and largely the higher ranks- demands instruction and experience and these two demands sometimes going abroad or long clip off from place which is largely non accepted in our community.
Work force who work following to adult females experience that it is a shame for them that their adult females co-workers are promoted or paid more than them, so they are seeking to forestall such state of affairss.
Besides some work forces who work and their married womans work experience abashed or ashamed if their married womans are in higher rank than them, so they may decline the thought of authorising of their married womans in their plants.
Of class we are non taking to alter the community ‘ s ideas and civilization, but using the mainstreaming docket on measure by measure programs with concrete consequences and without hit with community ‘ s baselines or true spiritual idea and without presenting a distorted vision about the mainstreaming by destructing the recognized values and norms, these societal obstructions will get down to ease till all the policies of mainstreaming are applied in our company. During this process- if applied precisely- all the parties will eel the soft alteration which will convert all the parties by its consequences over the clip.
Religious Obstacles:
In fact, most of the clip these are misunderstandings for the faith or sometimes human myths that were coated by spiritual sanctity without being portion of the faith.
There are people who believe that adult females are merely created for reproduction and raising kids and they do believe that this is a spiritual fact, so adult females can non go forth at that place places particularly for work.
There are beliefs that the adult female ‘ s face -and of class the body- and voice are pubess ( Awra ) that must non be seen or heard by work forces which of class consequences in prohibiting adult females from work because already they will hold contact with work forces.
Some people says that the adult female gas no right- by religion- to be responsible about work forces and ever work forces merely must be on the higher ranks and the degree of decision-making.
What could be said about these beliefs is the debut of the thoughts of some Islamic bookmans who presented new reading for adult females rights in Islam. For illustration Sheikh Mohammad Al-Ghazali is one of the bookmans who wrote about the adult females rights in Islam and the misunderstanding of Islamic rules in this issue. He illustrates that Islam allows the adult female to go forth her place and work and speak to work forces. The adult female has the right to be a justice or curate or embassador. He continues his statement by guaranting that Islam do non suppress capable and well-experience adult females from going presidents of provinces. ( Al-Ghazali, M. 2002 )
Besides Sheikh Ali Jom’a ( the Egyptian Mufti ) stated in one fatwa that adult females are allowed -by religion- to go presidents. ( Jom’a, A. 2006 )
So if the adult females are allowed to go presidents, how it happens to forbid them from being promoted or empowered and more experient? !
Fiscal Obstacles:
This issue is seen from two sides:
Decision shapers see in the authorization an extra cost on them that will take to higher wages and bing preparation plans ; so why to travel into this escapade if it is possible to go on with lower costs.
From the other side, some households want their girls to work merely to back up their bad fiscal position and they do pay attending for instruction and authorization for those girls because they are considered merely added value to the monthly incomes.
Both places could be changed by the mainstreaming results. When determination shapers are convinced by the better action of the empowered employees they will experience it into their net incomes despite the higher rewards. And households will be more positive when their girls are back to place with wages, because as we mentioned before: if the adult female experience a reposeful work state of affairs, their milieus will profit the same.
What to be done?
To make our ends for the new scheme of gender mainstreaming, practical stairss should be taken to set the theoretical attack into executive one and we have the undermentioned suggestions:
Start by detecting the spreads which leads to favoritism against both work forces and adult females and seek to bridge these spreads by reconsidering the policies.
Better instruction will take to better degree of action by employees, so offering some seasonal educational classs -for both- or if possible some scholarships in which broad experiences could be gained and this will be translated into the company ‘ s profile.
Introducing the gender mainstreaming rules to all employees by several preparations or workshops inside the company or in partnership with others outside the company and delivery for that aim the experts of gender mainstreaming schemes and if it is possible to host success narratives in the field of gender mainstreaming to analyze that instances and acquire the benefits and barricade the spreads.
Prosecute both work forces and adult females in all sections and activities of the company so that they can interchange different experiences while holding new co-workers with new thoughts in each section.
Get down the publicity of some adult females -whom deserve of course- to be in the higher ranks. Other determination shaper places and headed employees must collaborate with the new coming leaders. Continuing this measure on the long term will take to accept the leading of adult females in any place boulder clay shattering the glass ceiling.
If there is any prejudice against any of the employees in the salary because of his sex, this state of affairs must be handled by following incorporate rewards systems harmonizing to the place and experience
We can lend in national runs which introduces the gender mainstreaming rules to the community so that the application of these rules in the company will be easier and more effectual. These runs can play function in altering some values and norms and attitudes of the community particularly those related to adult females.
Laws and statute laws are significant factors in this issue, so promoting the legislative governments to follow gender mainstreaming in all state sectors will do it easier to win.
Fix a suited environment for particular responsibilities such as injuries in heavy work or particular attention when handling chemicals if founded ; make non forestall work forces or adult females from any profession under the stalking-horse of inability to suit that mission.
Particular demands of both work forces and adult females should be taken into consideration, like the demand of pregnant and breastfeeding adult females for particular clip to take attention of their kids. Parental departures should be provided to both female parents and male parents and let them to rearrange their agenda harmonizing to the demands of their kids. What is of import in this measure is the consideration that non merely female parents are the care-givers for kids but besides father can play of import function.
Beloved Sir:
I would wish to thank you for your trust. I hope you will analyze this bill of exchange, reexamine it and follow it.
I did my best to garner the most of import information needed to establish the gender mainstreaming scheme in our company. I am certain that we all have the same end of bettering our company to the best degree could be achieved.
I am ready for any advices and comments could be put on this policy and I am ready to be portion of the squad to use it.
Thank you once more
Sincerely yours:
Human Resources Manager
