This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
The Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting, held in Nairobi, is a significant event that has taken place regularly since 1985. This year’s meeting aims to take stock of the current status of gender equality and share perspectives on how progress on this important Commonwealth priority can be achieved more swiftly.
Recommendations and decisions made by ministers responsible for women’s affairs and gender will go forward to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Rwanda next year.
Despite significant advances in gender equality over the past century, there is still much ground to cover. From New Zealand becoming the first self-governing country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections in 1893 to Sri Lanka electing the world’s first female Prime Minister in 1960, the gender gap has narrowed quickly. However, underlying systemic inequality remains persistent and widespread.
Research for the Nairobi meeting offers a snapshot of progress towards gender equality within and across the Commonwealth in four priority areas: Women in leadership, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, and gender and climate change.
Commonwealth countries have made significant progress in increasing the number of women in leadership positions. Rwanda is one of only three countries to have achieved gender parity with over 55 per cent of seats occupied by women in both Houses. In 13 Commonwealth countries, 30 per cent or more of MPs are women, with countries in the Caribbean and Americas region having an average of almost 25 per cent female MPs.
However, despite progress in education, gender gaps in the formal labour force and the elimination of the gender pay gap remain significant challenges. The pan-Commonwealth average for female labour force participation is 56.30 per cent, with Rwanda having the highest rate at 86 per cent.
Prevalence of violence against women and girls is high throughout the world, despite advances in women’s economic status, leadership, and agency. Of 53 Commonwealth members, 47 have laws against domestic violence, and 20 explicitly criminalise marital rape.
Despite being high on the international agenda since the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, gender and climate change have still not achieved due recognition. Studies show that more women are in employment that is vulnerable to climate change, and 80 per cent of green jobs are expected to be in the secondary sectors, where women are underrepresented.
For gender equality to become a reality, responsibility for action has to be mainstreamed across the political sphere, public and private sectors, and civil society. This is a key tenet of the Beijing Platform for Action, whose 25th anniversary is approaching.
Realising the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 will require continued multilateral efforts and investment in addressing gender inequalities.
