30 years after Beijing, women got uneven gains – UN report

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“We understand today, as they did then, that a gender-equal world is both possible and within our reach – if we act decisively,” said Sima Bahous, the executive director of UN-Women Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Bahous was referring to the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, whose plan and focus was for 189 governments to achieve equal rights of all women and girls.

In a UN report, Women’s rights in review thirty years after Beijing, the findings reveal the gains to an extent because there is more to be done.

For example, “many countries have made strides on gender equality and women’s empowerment, from banning discrimination in employment to adopting gender-responsive climate action plans.”  

In addition, the report says innovation is accelerating progress, and opportunities are opening to scale up proven strategies.

Nevertheless, as the UN counts the gains of Beijing 30, the report acknowledges the glaring gaps that cause glitches in the fight for equal rights for women and girls.

“Between 1995 and 2024, legal reforms around the world sought to advance gender equality. But women still have 64% of the legal rights of men,” reads the report.

In education, girls generally surpass boys in upper-secondary completion rates in most regions, but in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia, they lag behind, with “59.5 million adolescent girls missing out on this fundamental right”.

When it comes to the workplace, women still face unfavourable terms and conditions. “Globally, among people aged 25-54, 63% of women are in the labour force compared to 92% of men,” the report reads. Furthermore, it notes that “women still do 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men”.

The Ugandan perspective

Rita Aciro, the executive director of Uganda Women’s Network, weighs in, saying women in Uganda are doing a lot of unpaid care work.

“We [civil society] are doing work in the unpaid care work. If we have laws and policies that set the foundation for unpaid work, but we don’t, so we can’t enforce it,” she says.

Aciro agrees with the report that the gains are real in our society.

“We have made gains, especially in terms laying ground in the legislative and policy framework. We have a number of gains in laws and policies that promote and protect women’s rights. And these are gains in the political, social and economic rights. So, you look at laws like women’s participation in the public discourse in politics, leadership. You look at affirmative action, both in elective politics, in appointive positions, in education. Basically, the foundation for having women being represented has been laid. And even in informal sector, you find people referring to affirmative action,” she says.

Although Aciro recognizes the gains, she is also aware that there is more to be done. She is of the view that men can also fully participate in childcare as opposed to the view that it is for women.

“Social roles can be eased by either dividing those roles amongst the people in that home (such as cleaning the house and washing clothes). Social roles can also be eased by using technology, like the pressure cooker, and washing machine,” she says.

According to Perry Aritua, the executive director of Women’s Democracy Network, Uganda has registered gains in the 30 years after Being.

She notably says in education, the enrollment of girls has increased, but the relevant skills to contribute effectively to meet the needs of Uganda’s economy by women still remain low.

Echoing the report, Aritua also points to the fact that men are in more productive sectors and earn more than women.  

“More women are in the informal sector. This affects access to opportunities that require formal registration,” she says.

On a sad note, Aritua says violence is still prevalent, with negative implications on women and girls’ health, productivity and education, among others.