GENDER EQUALITY: HOW TO FIND A RECOVERY?

Article by Bogdana Kostyuk

On October 16, 2013 special discussions on gender equality took place at the VerkhovnaRada (the Parliament of Ukraine). The topic was how to find a recovery on female’s equal rights and possibilities. Members of the Ukrainian parliament and governors, as well as the representatives of the NGOs and independent experts, took part at the discussions.

More than forty specialists gave information and visions on problems of the gender equality in Ukraine. According the facts, Ukraine is far from the gender equality and the facts are the following: it’s minority of women with leading positions in state, private businesses, political parties, the state does not support the initiative and proposals by women etc.

As a President of the League of Professional Women (LPW), independent Ukrainian non-governmental organization, Dr. Olena Lazorenko said in her speech, “experience of economic developed democratic countries confirms that economic empowerment is needed for implementation of true gender equality, – Dr. Lazorenko claims, - so it’s important to make the following steps on official level:

1) policy on the labor market, economic development (including SMEs), social and fiscal issues, and educational policy (particular reference to policy on non-formal adult education);
2) monitoring of the whole complex gender-sensitive policy;
3) ensuring women's access to financing;
4) education and training;
5) legal and social status of women;
6) general business environment”, Dr.Lazorenko says.

Also she note thatUkraineis53indexbetweenColombia andPeru, according to the“Women’sEconomicOpportunityIndex”  (EconomistIntelligenceUnit).

Overview of the LPW`s recommendations taken into account parliamentarians, as follows (you can see the full list of recommendations in the Ukrainian version of this News):

1. The issue of «women economic empowerment» should be taken into account when considering plans and concepts of development, it makes sense to develop a policy or strategy (assuming its funding) to expand economic opportunities for women, including policies to support of the female SMEs. Highly motivated and entrepreneurial work on women is not enough involved in business activities that are not only the fact that discriminate against women, but also very inefficient strategy from the perspective of the economic potential of Ukraine .On the base of the “SME Policy Index: Eastern Partner Countries” Study (OECD,2012) women’s entrepreneurship in Ukraine requires better policy, follow-up actions and more advocacies.

2. Support the trilateral cooperation (government - business –civil society) in progress of initiatives in the field of women's entrepreneurship, especially those coming from the civil society organizations (CSOs). For example, since 2013 have been worked LPW Initial Group on Supporting Women Entrepreneurship in Ukraine (LPW IG SWE). Web note alert: LPW Launched the Initiative Group on Supporting Women Entrepreneurship (LPW IG SWE) in Ukraine http://lpw.org.ua/en/ announces/?pid=622 In the end of the summer 2013 startup LPW IG SWE`s communication platform on the base of Facebook group Women Entrepreneurship (WE https://www.facebook.com/groups/189478497881158/ ) Also see: http://lpw.org.ua/ua/news/?pid=635

3. Equal pay for equal work under ILO Convention on Equal Remuneration.

4. One of the accepted Ukraine’s obligations under the UN Millennium Declaration, which will be achieved by 2015, planned target "Providing lifelong learning". We support and develop a system of non-formal adult learning, support including women in this type of learning.

5. Need to develop a gender- sensitive support mechanism non-formal adult learning, basic principles of The Law of Ukraine "On the professional development of employees " and " On Employment ".

Also important such actions as information programs (campaigns) for women, focused on providing financial services. Moreover, according to the members of the current hearings should not reject the initiative of the United Nations ' Principles for empowering women - equality means business".

As noted by O. Lazorenko and her colleagues, the expansion of economic rights of women is not a "quick fix", but it will encourage the participation of women in active economic activities and thereby create a more productive economy of Ukraine as a whole.