Twenty years since the landmark women’s conference at Beijing, and as the post-2015 agenda is concluded, it is clear that there has been a significant increase in rhetoric from governments and even some notable achievements in the field of women’s equality and rights. But a failure to tackle underlying causes – particularly the persistent unequal power relations between women and men – has thwarted real, sustainable progress.
A report by the Gender and Development Network has identified four areas in need of far greater political focus and resources: working with marginalised women to build their own agency; supporting women’s collective action; promoting positive social norms; and reassessing macroeconomic policies and the role of the care economy.
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This article comes from the IDS Bulletin 46.4 (2015) Twenty Years after Beijing: Can Promises be Turned into Progress?
