A Framework for Mainstreaming Gender in Policies and Actions Isabelle Bleas World Bank Institute [email protected] Moscow November 29-30, 2005.

A Framework for Mainstreaming Gender in Policies and Actions

Isabelle BleasWorld Bank [email protected]

MoscowNovember 29-30, 2005

Does equity and gender equality matter for development ?

Engendering Development – through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources and Voice

WB Policy Research Report, E.U. : gender equality is explicitly recognized as essential to achieving poverty reduction. Strong correlation btw. Income & low(er) G inequality

Cross-country and country-specific evidence: G inequality hinders economic growth and has a heavy cost on families and nations.

Cost on people’s lives and decrease of well being Cost on productivity, efficiency and economic

progress Weaker governance

Gender discrimination explains inequality

Brazil: G discrimination explains 5% of inequality

Tunisia: F-headed households are less poor than M-headed households. Due to deliberate policy of empowering women and making school compulsory for boys and girls… so same opportunities

Gender equality increases education, health, and thus productivity of the next generation

In India, children of literate mothers spend two more hours/day studying than children of illiterate mothers (Behrman et al., 1999).

In Guatemala and Nigeria, educated mothers are more likely to adopt health-seeking behaviors, such as immunization (Pebley, et al. 1996; Gage, et al, 1997)

In Brazil, income in the hands of mothers has four times the impact on children’s height-for-age as income in the hands of fathers (Thomas, 1990)

If women and men had more equal schooling, incomes would have grown faster

0

1

2

3

4

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Asia Middle East/North Africa

Ave

rage

ann

ual g

row

th in

per

cap

ita G

NP

, 196

0-19

92

(per

cent

)

Actual

Predicted

Klasen, 2002

Where women and men have more equal rights, governments are less corrupt

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

Women's economic and social rights

Inde

x of

cor

rupt

ion

Equity is vital to achieve economic growth

Pro-Poor Growth: Evidence that growth and equality are effective in reducing poverty

Studies highlighting several broad policy options to help poor households take advantage of nonagricultural and urban employment opportunities. They include improving the investment climate; expanding access to secondary education; enhancing access of girls to all levels of education; designing labor market regulations to create more formal employment for poor workers; strengthening property rights to improve land access; and improving access to infrastructure.

Francisco Ferreira, co-director of the WDR

WDR 2006 “Equity and Development”

When a large share of the population is excluded from the main opportunities in development (education, investment, property rights; they don’t even have the same political influence and the ability to influence their governments), then “A lot of human productive potential of society goes to waste”

WDR 2006 main messages

High levels of economic and political inequality lead to economic institutions and social systems that systematically favor the elite – those with more influence.

It undermines a country’s potential for growth and its ability to reduce poverty.

Inequitable institutions impose economic costs Equity is a fundamental part of the package needed to

achieve empowerment and a better investment climate. It is also essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Is there Gender Equality ?

Gender equality has tended to increase over time, except in political participation

Middle Income Countries

1970 1980 1990 1995

High Income Countries

1970 1980 1990 1995

Low Income Countries

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1970 1980 1990 1995

Fem

ale/

mal

e ra

tio

Life expectancy

Primary enrollment

Secondary enrollment

Parliamentary representation

Women are vastly underrepresented in parliaments

0

5

10

15

20

25

Wo

men

's s

har

e o

f p

arlia

men

tary

sea

ts, 1

995

(per

cen

t)

East Asia/ Pacific

Europe/ Central Asia

Latin America/ Caribbean

Middle East/ North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

OECD

CGA Russian Federation

Country Gender Assessment (2004-2005) shows differential access to economic and productive resources, and to political participation.

Declining ratio of women business administrators; of professional advancement

Increasing stress on both M and F, and violence

Gender issues in the Region 1.

While world-wide women have suffered from gender inequality, in the ECA region both men and women have paid a price

Some measure of equality in schools, but significant barriers in economic opportunities, political participation, access to, and control over resources:

– 1985: 25% women in Parliament– 1990: dropped to 7%– 1990-2004: seats declined from 36 to 5%

Armenia, 29 to 6% Albania

World Bank study “Gender in Transition”, by Pierella Paci

Gender issues in the Region 2.

Gender gap in employment opportunities:

With the privatization of state owned industries, women are finding it harder to find formal employment.

Barriers in access to land and credit In some countries, women have benefited from micro-credit programs (Tajikistan National Social Investment Fund)

The privatization of state-owned land has placed most property in the hands of men.

The gender gap is particularly evident in the rural areas.

World Bank Study "Gender in transition", by Pierella Paci

Gender issues in the Region 3.

Loss of special benefits for women, increasing their risk of poverty

Violence & human trafficking: 25% worldwide (175,000 persons).

Lax law enforcement and corruption have contributed to the growth of trafficking

Policy approaches to promoting gender equality and

development

A framework to promote G equality

A three-part strategy:1. Reform Institutions (legal, economic) to

provide equal rights and opportunities2. Foster economic development to strengthen

incentives for more equal resources3. Take measures to redress inequalities in

command over resources and political participation

A framework to promote G equality

A three-part strategy:1. Reform Institutions (legal, economic) to

provide equal rights and opportunities2. Foster economic development to

strengthen incentives for more equal resources

3. Take measures to redress inequalities in command over resources and political participation

Reforming Institutions

Institutions consist of formal and informal rules which influence the level of transaction costs, which in turn highly influence the rate of growth. Effective institutions reduce transaction costs and encourage socially productive activities and vice versa.

We can ask of these institutions: Are they gendered?

If they are not, then transactions costs will be institutionally different for men and women

And there will be inefficiency

Establishing Equal Rights and Protection under the Law

Family Law Protection against violence Land Rights (property,

ownership) Labor Law Political rights

But reform is not enough: capacity and commitment to implement legal reforms

Law: part of broader institutional environment

And further problem: in many countries, responsibility for gender policy usually rests with marginalized cabinet positions

A framework to promote G equality

A three-part strategy:

1. Reform Institutions (legal, economic) to provide equal rights and opportunities

2. Foster economic development to strengthen incentives for more equal resources

3. Take measures to redress inequalities in command over resources and political participation

Fostering Economic Development

Increase in productivity Creation of new work opportunities Reduction of gender disparities

– Incomes raise– Poverty decreases

Ability to respond to incentives

Control of land – land and other ownership rights

Control of capital – do men and women have equal control of household and other assets?

Control of labor: do women (and especially young women) fully control their labor?

A framework to promote G equality

A three-part strategy:

1. Reform Institutions (legal, economic) to provide equal rights and opportunities

2. Foster economic development to strengthen incentives for more equal resources

3. Take measures to redress inequalities in command over resources and political participation

Conditions necessary for competitive markets

To have sufficient, equal access to information in order to operate effectively in the public sphere of markets

To have sufficient, equal freedom to act on this information

This includes equal control of resources, and access to resources

There is a critical role for active measures that

Increase access to resources and services

Reduce the costs to women of their household roles

Establish gender-appropriate social protection

Strengthen political voice and participation

Participating in the Labor Force

Availability of low-cost, out-of-home child care facilitates/increases participation in labor force and raises household income

A recent study in Russian Federation (Lokshin 2000) finds that subsidizing out-of-home care can be more effective than other approaches (wage subsidies) in attracting mothers in labor market

Investments in water and fuel infrastructure significantly reduce time on collection activities

Note: *Kasama and Dedougou are already within the 400m target.

Potential Average Annual Time Savings

0

200

400

600

Lusaka Rural (Zambia)

Kaya(Burkina Faso)

Mbale(Uganda)

Kasama*(Zambia)

Dedougou*(Burkina Faso)

An

nu

al t

ime

savi

ng

s (h

ou

rs p

er h

ou

seh

old

)

Potable water within 400m

Woodlots within 30 mins walk

Providing Gender-appropriate Social Protection

Means attention to both Men and Women In most of the world, women more vulnerable Emerging trend arguing for more attention to

male-specific issues But still need for women-specific pension

schemes. Look at Chile –next slide-

Pension income for average workers with incomplete primary education (female/male ratio in parenthesis)

(0.89)

(0.43)

(0.35)

(0.29)

(0.60)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Female own pension (retire age 60)

Female own pension adjusted by MPG

Female own pension (retire age 65)

Female own or survivor's pension

Female own+survivor's pension

Male own pension

Pesos (thousands)

Female pension benefits as a proportion of male benefits

Design matters for gender equality in pension benefits

Overall Implications

Gender is an important analytical category at both the micro and macro levels

Implications: – Gender needs to be systematically integrated into

the analysis of economic problems– Gender must be integrated into the policy process

At the planning level At the budgetary decision level At the implementation level At the evaluation level

Taking gender considerations into account in policy and program design can promote gender equality …

… and enhance policy effectiveness.

Can we help?

Russia TA pilot on mainstreaming Gender in the delivery of social services