Gender Wire

WHAT'S NEW?

Sweden Pilots Gender Neutral Schooling
At the "Egalia" preschool, staff avoid using words like "him" or "her" and address the 33 kids as "friends" rather than girls and boys.From the color and placement of toys to the choice of books, every detail has been carefully planned to make sure the children don't fall into gender stereotypes.

Does Mukhtaran Mai Verdict Mean Failure for Pakistan’s Women’s Rights Movement?
In 2002, Mukhtaran Bibi was gang raped at the orders of a local Pakistani jirga in retaliation for a minor offense by her 12 year old brother. For nine years she braved death threats to bring her attackers to justice. But on April 21 the country’s Supreme Court released five of the six alleged rapists.

China’s Demographic Gender Time Bomb
Between 1982 and 2010 nearly 20 million more males than females have been born in China. Experts say that the growth in gender imbalance is one of the most worrying demographic trends taking place in the country. It will have a big impact on China’s future demographic and social development. The imbalance of males and females in the marriage market will be intense with many unwelcome social and psychological consequences.

Korean Women Earn Lower Pay in Spite of Increase in Social Status
Korean women continue to be paid less than men despite improvements in their social standing. A  recent report shows that the average salary of  a Korean women stands at 67 percent that of men.

Singapore: Divorce and the Attractive Woman
Prospects of remarriage may be considered when courts decide alimony payouts.

Indian School for Muslim Women Triples Enrolment
Enrolment is booming at a women's college that serves Muslims in a hard-pressed textile neighbourhood of Mumbai. One proud parent says the students are defying the low expectations that surround the community and women who wear abayas.

India Journal: No Country for Women
India’s 2011 Census revealed that the child sex ratio (number of girls to boys 0-6 years of age) in the country fell, like it has in every decade since 1961. From 976 girls for every 1,000 boys in 1961, the ratio fell to 927 by 2001 and to 914 in the latest survey of 2011. The story of sex selection is a national one, cutting across urban and rural India, and income and education levels.

To protect girls, women must have rights
To counter sex-selective abortion, increase opportunities and education – don't limit women's control over their bodies.

South Asia's growing modernity masks women's plight
South Asia may boast a number of women leaders and be home to cultures that revere motherhood and worship female deities, but many women live with the threat of appalling violence and without many basic rights.

Can Affirmative Action Increase Women’s Ability to Get Elected in Indonesia?
While much restructuring to improve the parliament occurred prior to the 1999 elections, women’s groups noted that the first free and fair election after Reformasi resulted in lower numbers of women representatives than before the end of authoritarianism.

Nepal census recognizes 'third gender'
In what is believed to be a world first, Nepal's Central Bureau of Statistics is giving official recognition to gay and transgender people -- a move seen as major victory for equality in a country that only decriminalized homosexual relationships three years ago.

Nepal to offer shelter to South Asia's battered gays
Nepal's pioneering gay rights organisation, is set to become the only NGO in South Asia to offer a shelter to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders  who face violence in their own countries due to their different sexual orientations.

Timor-Leste: Education and sport empower a young woman to pursue her dreams
Inácia dreams of being a professional basketball player. She often plays, at a youth centre on the western edge of Dili, Timor-Leste’s capital. Through sport, Inacia and other teens find an outlet from the pressures of growing up in a neighbourhood notorious for gang fights and youth violence.

NEW TUBE

Girls Chase Their Dream of Education - Amazing Maasai Marathon  

JUST A QUICK QUESTION

Last month, we asked you if gender equality is a concern for men. The answer is yes! The achievement of gender equality implies changes for both men and women. More equitable relationships will need to be based on a redefinition of the rights and responsibilities of women and men in all spheres of life, including the family, the workplace and the society at large. It is therefore crucial not to overlook gender as an aspect of men’s social identity. But the lives of men are just as strongly influenced by gender as those of women. Societal norms and practices about “masculinity” create demands on men and shape their behaviour. Men are too often expected to concentrate on the material needs of their families, rather than on the nurturing and caring roles.

Socialization in the family and later in schools promotes risk-taking behaviour among young men. So the lifestyles that men’s roles demand often result in their being more exposed to greater risks of morbidity and mortality than women.

Men also have the right to assume a more nurturing role, and opportunities for them to do so should be promoted along with their domestic responsibilities. The adoption of a gender perspective is an important first step; it reveals that there are disadvantages and costs to men accruing from patterns of gender difference. It also underscores that gender equality is concerned not only with the roles, responsibilities and needs of women and men, but also with the interrelationships between them. (UNFPA)

This month's question: Why are girls more likely than boys to miss out on secondary education in the developing world? What do you think?

Send us your answers!