By Miguel Székely Former Deputy Minister Ministry of Social Development of Mexico Prepared for the High-Level Consultation on “Promoting the Gender Equality MDG: The Implementation Challenge ” Washington DC, February 16, 2006. Policy Interventions to Meet the MDG 3 Challenge in Middle-Income Countries
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By Miguel Székely Former Deputy Minister Ministry of Social Development of Mexico Prepared for the High-Level Consultation on “Promoting the Gender Equality.
If the “rules of the game” and cultural patterns are not modified, policy will be “swimming against the tide”
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By Miguel Székely Former Deputy Minister
Ministry of Social Development of Mexico
Prepared for the High-Level Consultation on “Promoting the Gender Equality MDG: The Implementation Challenge”
Washington DC, February 16, 2006.
Policy Interventions to Meet the MDG 3 Challenge in
Middle-Income Countries
Message:
The main challenge is to
focus on the underlying mechanisms generating gender
differences, not only on the outcomes
If the “rules of the game” and cultural patterns are not modified, policy will be
“swimming against the tide”
Contents
1. Identifying the scope for government intervention
2. Changing the “rules of the game”
3. Providing information, incentives and infrastructure
4. Main message
1. The scope for government intervention
Market outcomes: + fewer opportunities, lower
incomes, lower investment in human capital (education, health, etc.)
“Rules of the game”: + Labor laws, hiring & firing
within the government, counterparts for government intervention, operation of programs, no access to services, etc.
Cultural patterns (family): + Discrimination, tradition,
inertia, religion, etc.
. Affirmative action
. Explicit goals (MDG)
. Provide incentives in service provision
. Change Laws
. Internal hiring policy
. Change how programs operate
. Access to services
. Education programs
. Information generation
. Incentives within hh’s
. Increase productivity
2. “Changing the rules of the game”
in policy implementation
Two basic principles
i) Social policies BY women (not only FOR women): women as main partners &
counterparts in programs
ii) Benefits tailored to women’s and girl’s needs
CORRESPONSABILIDADES
Benefit
Attendance to healthclinics by all children inthe household
Scholarships
Cash transferfor food
School attendanceby all children in the household
Shared responsibility
5 million women run Oportunidades
Food71%
Clothing5%
Hygiene7%
Health2%
Education1%Other
14%
Use of cash transfers by women in Oportunidades
Taking women as partners and not only as beneficiaries, has huge implications
Tailoring benefits to women’s needs
1. Credit for projects designed by women
2. Nutritional supplements for girls, pregnant women, nursing mothers, etc.
3. Day care centers
4. Training
5. Health services (Oportunidades)
6. Safe environment
3. Modifying cultural patterns
Three mechanisms
a) Generation of information
b) Provision of incentives within the household
c) Increasing productibity in activities performed by women
a) Information on discrimination(Mexican National Discrimination Survey:
“A look in the mirror”)
40% of Mexican men think that women should be confined to “women’s jobs”
Almost one out of three think that men should earn more than women when
performing the same job
40%
Women should only work in “jobs for women”
30.5%
Men should earn more than women
21% believe that women have fewer abilities to handle high pressure jobs
21.5%
Women have fewer capabilities than men to
handle high pressure jobs
23.1%
Women are to blame when they are raped, because they attract
men
… and almost one out of every four believe that women are to blame when they are raped
because they attract men
15%
15% do not invest in the education of their daughters, because they will get married and
their husband will provide for themInvestment in female
education is worthless, because they will get
married
The visible economic contribution of women in Mexico is of 30% of total GDP
(through declared participation in economic activity)
Women30%Men
70%
a) Formalize information on women’s real economic contribution:
* Estimations from the National Employment Survey, various years.
PIB
17% of GDP
The invisible (non-remunerated) contribution is of at least an additional 17% of GDP
b) Incentives
Increase in secondary school enrollment
25% general enrollment
33% women
16% men
In Oportunidades, scholarships for girls are higher than for boys
c) Increase efficiency in activities normally performed by women
* From National Income and Expenditure Survey, 2004 (women 18 and older).
Domestic activities Labor market participation
14 hours per day
86
8
Does not participate Participates in labor market
Household infrastructure and appliances reduce time and effort considerably
Weekly hours saved
3
3
1
10
Gas stove Micro-wave oven Refrigerator Total
3
Potable water
Message:
The main challenge is to
focus on the underlying mechanisms generating gender
differences, not only on the outcomes
If the “rules of the game” and cultural patterns are not modified, policy will be