Gender Equality Makes Headway: UNIFEMThe Progress of the World's Women 2000, a report released July 19 by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), says that much progress has been made in gender equality in many countries since the mid-1980s. The report, a biennial document initiated by the UNIFEM, points out the achievements but also warns that there are worrisome trends.The report says that gender equality in primary education has been realized in many countries, while in middle school education, the situation is unbalanced. According to the report, 11 percent of the world's nations have realized gender equality in their middle school enrollment, and the enrollment rate of girls is lower than that of boys in 51 percent of the countries and higher in 38 percent of the countries. From 1985 to 1997, the middle school enrollment rate for girls was upgraded to some extent worldwide, the report says, pointing out that the percentage dropped in 30 countries at the same time. China has made some progress in this regard, the report says, citing the percentage at 65 percent. The report points out that the rate of employed women in paid work in industries and services has risen since the mid-1980s in much of the world, adding that the work quality has declined. The report noted that the social protection and empowerment for women in paid work are inferior to those of their male counterparts. The rate of Chinese women employed in the non- agricultural paid sectors stands at 39 percent. More women have won seats in parliamentary bodies, the report says, pointing out South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique and Argentina as the most notable examples. The percentage of Chinese women in this regard is close to 22 percent, which is fairly high, according to the report. Information from the report shows that only a small number of the countries have reached the three targets set by the United Nations, namely 95 percent of girls enrolled in schools, at least 30 percent of parliamentary seats for women, and a 50 percent employment rate for women in paid jobs in the industrial and service sectors. The countries that have already reached the three targets include Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway, and countries close to the targets are Iceland, Holland, Germany and South Africa, the report says. Other parts of the report discuss the issue of gender equality in economic affairs and empowerment for women in the context of globalization. It also explores ways to promote the advancement of poor women in the face of globalization. |
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