3 December 2019
On 27 November 2019, the Third International Forum of Women Leaders was held in Grodno. The aim of the event was to promote women’s leadership, gender equality and the participation of women in public and political life at the local level. By achieving this goal, the organizers of the forum see capacity-building and networking among women, which ultimately contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
The International Forum of Women Leaders was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. The Forum was partnered by the following institutions: Grodno Regional Executive Committee, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, the Belarusian Women’s Union, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Republic of Belarus and the Council of Europe.
This is the third time the Forum has been held in Belarus. The first was held in June 2016, the second in October 2018. This year’s Forum brought together about 90 participants – representatives of government agencies and international organizations, public associations and business structures.
Discussions of the agenda of the International Forum of Women Leaders were held in three parallel thematic sessions:
1. Promotion of women’s political participation at the local level.
This session raised the problem of obstacles faced by women in politics, presented the experience of the Republic and abroad, and considered examples of good practices that support political participation of women at the local level.
2 Balance between work and personal life: myth or reality?
This session focused on national and international experiences in promoting gender and family-friendly jobs and motherhood as corporate values for employers. The speakers talked about the development of family-friendly infrastructure and social environment as a driving force to enhance gender equality and empower women in public and family life.
3. The role of universities in strengthening women’s leadership at the local level.
The session explored the various opportunities that universities can and do provide for training women leaders.
The event was opened by the Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Irina Kostevich. In her speech, the head of the department spoke about the current impact of gender policy of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the tasks that are currently assigned to officials working on gender equality issues in the country.
The Minister stressed that in terms of gender equality Belarus holds high positions in many authoritative ratings. Thus, according to the UNDP Global Report “Human Development Report 2018” The Republic is ranked 31st in the gender-sensitive development index and 28th in the gender inequality index. Belarus also holds the leading position among CIS countries in the index of opportunities for girls: 24th place among 144 countries in the world.
“We have done much to increase women’s participation in the labour market, reduce labour segregation and the gender pay gap, as well as to promote a balance between labour and family responsibilities, support women’s entrepreneurship and increase women’s participation in economic decision-making at the highest level. Nevertheless, important gender gaps remain, which hinder progress in gender equality”, emphasized Irina Kostevich.
It is important to note that the International Forum of Women Leaders is held for the first time at the regional level. Looking back on today’s situation, it is crucial that women have more opportunities and actively participate in the system of local governance and self-governance as persons responsible for decision-making, their implementation and results.
“Local governments are closest to citizens and therefore are the best way to involve women in the decision-making process regarding their living conditions and can use their knowledge and opportunities to promote sustainable development,” the Minister said.
The representation of women at the decision-making level in Belarus is quite high. According to the preliminary results of the elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus held the day before, the proportion of women in this area has increased to 40% of the total number of deputies in the House of Representatives and members of the Council of the Republic. It should be noted that, on average, women are represented in national parliaments only by 24.5 per cent worldwide. In the local councils of deputies, almost half of them are women – 48.2 per cent. For comparison, in 2017 the proportion of women among the heads of rural, settlement and urban (district) executive committees and their deputies was 68.8 per cent.
Women are widely represented in State administration. Thus, 67.4 per cent of civil servants at all levels of administration are women, including 56.2 per cent at managerial and deputy positions. In addition, 68 per cent of State employees are women.
It is characteristic that women outperform men in educational achievements. Today more than 57.7% of citizens with higher and postgraduate education are women. University teaching staff is 55% women. At the same time, they are still not very visible in managerial positions: at the level of rector of the university – 5 against 47, at the level of vice rectors – 47 against 163.
Irina Kostevich noted: despite the fact that the management position depends not on gender, but on personal competence, professionalism and ambitions, in real life it is still difficult to compete with men on equal terms with women. Among the reasons for this the Minister mentioned the double employment of women at work and in the family, established stereotypes, professional segregation.
These challenges are not unique for Belarus. At the October Beijing +25 Regional Review Meeting in Geneva, it was noted that technology, economy, governance and construction are still largely dominated by men. Even in countries that have achieved a high degree of gender equality, the unequal distribution of unpaid work and caregiving responsibilities remains intractable, all supported by conservative social expectations. This situation has significant implications for women’s ability to participate actively in labour market processes, to move into male-dominated sectors of employment, to achieve career goals and to accumulate higher pensions.
On average, Belarusian women spend twice as much time as men working at home and taking care of children or elderly people. “What is more important – to be a good mother and wife or a successful leader? That is the question many women may ask in today’s world. Therefore, it is important to create such conditions for the realization of women, such a level of culture and behavior in society that would not force this choice in favor of one, and to the detriment of the other”, summed up Irina Kostevich.
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