The Role of NGOs In Promoting Gender Equality

A Policy Brief for the FSA Contemporary Issues Fellowship Program

By Lachin Hasanova

Research goal: To examine the role and contribution of NGOs in promoting gender equality

in the USA with the purpose of using the findings to strengthen the initiatives of NGOs in

Azerbaijan to integrate gender equality and equity considerations into their daily programmatic

activities to achieve discrimination free environment where the voice of men and women is

heard with respect and equality.

Relevance and significance of the research topic: Gender consideration involves men as

well as women, so understanding gender means understanding opportunities and constraints

as they affect both women and men. It is increasingly understood that partnerships between

women and men are the basis for strong families and societies in a rapidly changing world.

(UNFPA Report, 2000)

The Constitution of Azerbaijan provides equal rights to men and women. But gender

discrimination persists in every field of life in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan achieved gender equality

only in education. Even in the structure of education system and among the people who

achieve the higher degrees of science, there is a great gender based difference.

Unemployment is widespread among the women. Women who has job have been involved in

the sector of economy with lower wages. Much of the women’s work is unpaid, e.g. in rural

areas of the country, women not only prepare but also grow most of the family food and it is

primarily girls and women who fetch water, fuel for cooking and collect fodder for domestic

animals. Women’s economic contribution is undercounted because they are often in the

informal sector where reporting is less systematic.

Women have no empowerment in decision making regarding their reproductive health.

Abortion is widely used by Azeri women as a contraceptive method. According to a Pathfinder

survey, the knowledge of men and women about STDs including HIV/AIDS is very low. There

are domestic violence cases in Azerbaijan but these cases are not revealed. There are

currently no activities specific to sexual gender based violence in Azerbaijan. Women

specially in rural areas are not involved in decision making processes which affect their lives.

They are not actively participating in identifying the problems in their communities. They

assume that to identify, prioritize the community problems and find solutions for them are

men’s affair.

The inclusion of a separate chapter on “ Gender Equality, Equity, and Empowerment of

Women” in the Program of Action from the 1994 International Conference on Population and

Development (ICDP) in Cairo is testimony to the acceptance of the strength and importance of

gender analysis. Azerbaijan also became a signatory of the conventions which recognize

importance of gender equality and equity in successful development of societies.

Summary of research findings: In order to achieve my research goal I visited many NGOs

who is dealing with gender issues in New York City, had meeting with concerned people in

those NGOs and studied their policy principles for promoting gender equality. I interviewed

professors at Columbia University who prepares training curricula on gender related topics,

conducts classes for the students on gender issues and learned their methods in teaching

young generation the importance of gender equity. I attended a great number of workshops

and conferences on gender, women’s issues and gender based violence and these events

helped me to learn about the system of public education in US that promotes gender fairness,

equity. I did researches through internet, reviewed literature on gender equity and equality

and collected a lot of materials and video tapes to use in development of training materials in

Azerbaijan. During my research I collected a lot of information about NGO activities to

prevent gender-based violence in US. I learned more about the system of supporting the

victims of gender-based violence, which we don’t have in Azerbaijan. I also realized that

though women have achieved equality in some point, the full equality has not been achieved

in USA. Women earn 75% of what men earn, still men dominate in decision making in some

field of development and they couldn’t undermine the stereotypes on sexism in US society.

Many women find themselves at a great disadvantage after immigrating to America. However,

I appreciate the efforts of NGOs in advocating and educating the people on human rights and

trying destroy the deeply rooted stereotypes on gender roles and responsibilities. I was

admired by the people’s enthusiasm in attending workshops and conferences on gender

issues. I witnessed the great interest of American women in nontraditional professions for

women.

My research in US helped me to assume that promoting gender equality in developing

countries is easier than in already developed countries. It is easier to integrate gender

considerations into the activities in all the sectors of development while they are being

developed. According to my research findings I came to a conclusion that NGOs play great

role in promoting gender equality in US, but it makes the achievement of their goals difficult

when the government doesn’t support them. In order to achieve gender equity NGOs and

government sectors should collaborate in a productive way.

Recommendations: As defined by the United Nations, gender mainstreaming is the process

of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation,

policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well

as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation,

monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal

spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. After the

1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing a more strategic approach has emerged which

promotes full equality between women and men in all spheres of life. In order to make

changes from gender equality perspective in Azerbaijan it is necessary: 1) to educate people

on the importance of gender equality in development process, starting with children, young

men and young women; 2) to ensure greater participation of both men and women in

educating people on gender issues; 3) to make sure that qualified and experienced women

comprise approximately half of the planners and politicians 4) both men and women need to

be persuaded that gender equity would mean the equal participation of men and women in

decision-making, equal opportunities in accessing to and controlling over the resources.

NGOs can play great role in promoting gender equality in Azerbaijan by the support of

government if they take into consideration the ten steps for integrating gender into the policymaking

process: 1) a mainstreaming approach to stakeholders: who are the decision-makers?

2) Mainstreaming a gender agenda; what is the issue? 3) Moving towards gender equality:

what is the goal? 4) Mapping the situation: what information do we have? 5) Refining the

issue: research and analysis; 6) formulating policy or project interventions from a gender

perspective; 7) arguing the case: gender matters! 8) Monitoring: keeping a (gender sensitive)

eye on things; 9) evaluation: how did we do? 10) En-gendering communication. It is also

important for NGOs to have a vision of sectoral (education, environment, governance and

participation, justice and human rights, labor, economics and trade, media) approach to

gender mainstreaming.

One of the keys to sustainable development in Azerbaijan will be recognizing the costs of

discrimination, making them visible to policy makers and families, and designing ways to

eliminate them and I believe that NGOs and volunteers will play an important part in promoting

gender equality and equity in newly independent Azerbaijan.