Browse by Theme: Gender Equality

Last year, 2020, should have represented the best year ever for EU gender equality policy-making and commitments. Over the course of the year, the EU made some great strides on gender equality and indeed, the year very nearly was a total triumph for EU gender equality ambition. Disappointingly, however, the EU had some inconsistencies in its approach to gender equality throughout the year and also, deplorably, rolled back on previous, fundamental commitments by the end of the year. In this context, can the EU remain a trailblazer and leader on gender equality in 2021 and beyond?

“It makes both moral and business sense to be a leader in addressing the problem of gender-based violence and harassment.” These were the words of Scott Deitz, Founder of Convene Communication Strategies and former Vice-President at VF Corporation, as he opened the recent Learning Summit organized by CARE and Better Work.

“I felt humiliated and could not focus on my work after I was harassed by my co-worker. I decided to report to the sexual harassment prevention committee because I trust them.” Pha*, a garment worker in Cambodia, is employed by a factory which has been working with CARE to improve how they respond to reports of workplace sexual harassment. We helped them build an environment where gender-based violence is not tolerated and women are more confident to report incidents of abuse.

Women and girls are the hardest hit by conflict and disasters but often have little or no say in the design and delivery of humanitarian aid. CARE’s Women Lead in Emergencies approach is the first practical toolkit for frontline humanitarians to support women to take the lead in responding to crises that directly affect them and their communities. Below are some of the lessons we have learned piloting this approach with women’s groups in the Omugo refugee settlement in the West Nile in Uganda. 

How can governments around the world become more transparent, improve accountability and empower citizens through meaningful participation? One answer is to proactively engage women’s rights organisations in open government processes, finds action research by Rebecca Haines, Kara Medina and Tam O’Neil.

The UK government has a crucial role to play in supporting women and girls, in all their diversity, to lead on climate change in 2021 as hosts of the G7 and COP26.

On Monday 23rd November 2-3pm GMT, join the Big Tent and CARE International UK, ActionAid UK, Plan International UK, Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) and the Centenary Action Group (CAG) as they explore the importance of women and girls’ leadership in the management of the climate crisis.

By Huong Hoang and Céline Mias

The global fashion industry is one of the most female-dominated industries in the world. It is a goliath of an industry which includes the textile, clothing, and footwear sectors, which is estimated to employ about 60 million to 75 million people, 80% of which are women. Although countless women are behind this US$2.4 trillion industry which, if it were a country, would be the world’s seventh-largest economy, women workers are disproportionately represented. They are, in fact, found heavily concentrated in the most vulnerable and marginalized positions in the industry where they work for poverty wages and under harsh conditions. These women workers often face gender discrimination, exploitation and suffer from the impact of violence and harassment not just in the workplace but in their homes and on their way to and from work.