FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Civil society and the progress of the feminist movement in transitional democracy

Release Date: 04 April 2007

By Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary-General

Dear e-CIVICUS Subscriber,

Even though the leadership role of women in the strive for gender equality must be recognised and asserted, men too can and should be engaged in achieving gender justice. Like all social challenges, the struggle for gender justice must be equally shared by men and women. In an effort to realise this, it has been suggested that gender is to be mainstreamed into all projects and policies. Consequently, much like HIV/AIDS, the UN is engaged in an effort to mainstream gender. Yet, not all those involved are decidedly positive about mainstreaming. For is mainstreaming not tantamount to watering down? Moreover, is mainstreaming bridging the engagement gap between the sexes or is it rather letting men of the hook? In this week's column, I have asked my colleague Kim Jurgensen, Manager of the CIVICUS Secretary-General’s Office, to reflect on these issues as she reports on her attendance of the ‘United Nations University conference on Women, Justice and Peace-building’. Warm regards, Kumi Naidoo.

From the feminist movement to mainstreaming, but is it working?

By Kim Jurgensen, CIVICUS Manager, Office of the Secretary-General

Just last week I attended a conference at the United Nations University in Tokyo. The theme of the conference was “Women, Justice and Peace building”. Within this rather broad theme CIVICUS was invited to report on the position of women in South Africa and their struggle for gender equality. As the coordinator of the CIVICUS in house committee that implements and strengthens the CIVICUS Gender Policy, I jumped at the opportunity to touch base with other gender activist in such an erudite and experienced international setting. 

I told the conference about the amazing strides South African women have made in a number of areas, perhaps the most notable being our labour legislative framework. Women trade unionists were key in ensuring that issues such as maternity leave, employment equity and equal pay for equal work (although there is an amended demand now which looks at equal pay for work of equal value). But even with these victories South African women are still incredibly poor, exploited, abused, raped and victims of gender violence and oppression throughout society. Still, compared to the experiences of women in Mexico , Uruguay , Tajikistan and even Ireland , we are light years ahead. The stories shared at the conference taught me how global strive for gender equality might be mainstreamed in offices, but the in real world out there all that is mainstreamed is the suffering of women.

While most women spoke of either oppression in their countries or victories for women, there were some telling stories about how women themselves had taken part in political struggles and how their role was not always exemplary. Cathy Gormley-Heenen, from Northern Ireland told us about a specific incident in Northern Ireland , in the Holy Cross Girls School . She explained how the demographics of her area had changed to a point where a Catholic primary school landed up being situated smack in the middle of a Protestant area. With a long history of Catholic – Protestant tensions even leading in armed conflicts, this is was to become an issue. Conflict then arose about the routes children were taking to get to school. Protestant parents insisted that the Catholic children were to take a different route, not through the Protestant neighbourhood, but Catholic parents would not budge. As a result Catholic mothers (police advised fathers to stay back because their presence would raise tensions) walked a gauntlet of angry Protestants every morning with their children. Protestant mothers responded by throwing urine-filled balloons at the children. What’s more, they held out pornographic posters depicting local Catholic priests sodomising children.

This event dramatically challenges popular images of women as natural peace makers and nurturers. How could Protestant mothers traumatise children like that? And was it rally the right thing to do for Catholic mothers could put their children through such trauma? These questions were passionately debated upon. However, lacking in the discussion was the role of fathers because somehow this break away from the stereo type “nurturing” role of women as “mothers” and “protectors” shocked the country completely.

Women themselves are not a homogenous group, nor are women are not inherently good, or moral, or nurturing. I am a woman, I should know. Women in the Zapatista movement in Mexico managed to introduce the Women’s Revolutionary Law which talked about equal rights for women in a number of areas. The process of developing this law involved grassroots consultation and mobilisation which not only raised issues such as customary law and how it affects women, but also garnered support for the Zapatistas. Yet Ibetsam Al-Atiyat, a Palestinian activist, said that Israeli and Palestinian women used the issue of motherhood as an entry point to find some kind of commonality, however, when America invaded Iraq Israeli women supported the invasion because they believed their security was threatened. It was clear that political ideology surpassed the bondages of motherhood.

I have to wonder about the political distinction between “women’s issues” and “gender issues”. This also raises the question about civil society and what is the best tactic to bring about gender equality in the world. One of the problems is the myth that women are united by their gender – which ignores class, race and cultural issues. For example, how do women in Mexico relate to issues raised by Alla Kuvatova of Tajikistan who said that one of the biggest problems facing that country is that of polygamy? She said the issue has been strongly debated in civil society but women themselves are divided. There are sectors of the women’s movement who argue that men should be punished for this practise, but there are other sectors who believe that if polygamy is legalised it will create rights – within Islamic practise – for women who are currently essentially concubines with no rights and no hope.

On a practical level is it realistic to expect that these issues are ever likely to be “mainstreamed”? The process leading to the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland demonstrated that many men are not yet ready to accept women as political equals, or political adversaries. A women’s group was formed in just seven weeks to ensure that women were be part of the negotiating process. However, when the negotiations started every time a woman stood up to speak there was clucking and calls for the women to go to the kitchen and make tea.

It is hard to believe in countries where there has been significant political progress on gender issues that these victories would have been won without a strong women’s lobby, and I don’t know of any successful examples of “gender mainstreaming”. I don’t like the idea that issues which really affect all people are “relegated” to what is referred to as “women’s issues”. But the truth is I don’t see men rallying for safer cities, for marital rights, for equal access to jobs and education for women.  

There are no good examples of gender mainstreaming. The United Nations has failed (the UN office in Geneva is expected to meet a gender equity staff ratio of 50% by 2075 – although high levels of women in an organisation is not a victory on its own. I recently heard a comment that when there are a lot of women in an organisation you can be sure there are high levels of economic and other exploitation) and even the current debates about restructuring the gender architecture don’t give much hope to the future of dealing with gender issues. Can civil society organisations make any significant impact in this arena? I seriously doubt it. Organisations with such varying focuses, often under-staffed and in dire need of funding, surely cannot realistically be expected to bring in a “gender” aspect to their programmes. It  would be great of course, but it is not likely.

Having witnessed all those strong women in Tokyo , acknowledging all their hard work, I still felt that that women’s groups alone cannot ensure gender issues are put on the political agenda, regardless of the strong role can they play on a grassroots level. For, if that was enough, we would ave been there yeas ago. Actually, I am afraid mainstreaming has taken the pun out of our strive. Having women in organisations does not guarantee any movement on the path to women’s liberation. As uncomfortable as I am with the idea, I can’t help but feel that gender mainstreaming as it is currently implemented is not the way forward. Now it is really up to the grassroots women to introduce gender agendas and shift political consciousness of those in power. What we need is to get the men on engaged, all of them. Or at least our men.

Stephen Lewis, the UN Special Envoy for Aids in Africa , was quoted saying

“The great dreams of the international conferences in Vienna , Cairo and Beijing have never come to pass. It matters not the issue: whether its levels of sexual violence or HIV/AIDS, or maternal mortality, or armed conflict, or economic empowerment, or parliamentary representation, women are in terrible trouble. And things are getting no better.”

Having heard the terrible stories on women abuse, and having noticed the gap between the sexes in the engagement on gender equality, I can’t help but subscribe to his view. Now, by no means should this stop us from dreaming; dreams of a more just world are after all at the origin of all our struggles. Still, Lewis remark should be read as a call for action, a wake up call if you want for men and women to unitedly engage for gender justice. Let’s just make sure that our joint force of united men and women from around the globe is not mainstreamed to an amorphous flow. No! What gender equality needs is a well aimed purposeful spearhead with a strong thrusting arm to use it.

Best wishes,
Kim Jurgensen

Below you will find all previous columns published within e-CIVICUS editions.

• The role of civil society organisations in promoting corporate citizenship

• Civil society faces increasing challenges in Zimbabwe

• The road to Accra: Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness

• CIVICUS Youth Assembly to urge for ‘Accountability to Future Generations’

• International Women’s Day, 8 March 2007: Men will never be free until women enjoy full gender equality

• The World Economic Forum is too important to be left to economists alone

• From Nairobi to Davos: Reflections on the World Social Forum and World Economic Forum

• The role of civil society organisations in managing for development results

• World Social Forum 2007: Another World is Possible for Africa

• The importance of civil society in the year 2006

• International Advocacy NGO Accountability Charter: Walking the talk

• Human Rights Day: Righting the Wrongs

• Sharing member impressions and why civil society should be part of CIVICUS’ alliance

• 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

• CIVICUS strategic planning takes centre stage

• Reflections on the CIVICUS Civil Society Index country reports

• Civil society and the challenge of Regional Integration in the Pacific

• Over 20 Million People 'STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY' to Set New Guinness World Record

• People created poverty. Only people can eradicate it." World-wide commemoration of October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

• Campaigning Works!

• If only civil society was taken seriously: Reflections on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy of 11 September 2001

• Help set a Guinness world record by standing up to poverty

• Civil society takes centre stage at the AIDS Conference

• Can we reform the International Finance Institutions?

• Article on the Doha collapse

• Civil Society and the Middle East Conflict

• Reflections of a Meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin

• You can participate in the CIVICUS World Assembly even if you are not going to be there in person

• Can Civil Society make a difference in Iraq?

• The Ethics of Cherry Picking: The dilemma of where you live, work and play!!!

• Former CIVICUS Board Member passes away

• Reflections on a visit to prison

• The struggle for justice is a marathon not a sprint: A personal reflection

• Can Civil Society make 2006 a year of more and better coherence, coordination and communication?

• What 2005 means for civil society?

• Argentina: Thriving without the IMF

• Can legal frameworks strengthen civil society? Is the time right for a Campaign for Civil Society Rights?

• Why trade justice matters to you

• December 2005: Determined, Dedicated and Diverse Dimensions to Direct Action For Justice, Human Rights and Equality

• Reflections on the United Nations Summit

• Civil society gears up for the UN World Summit

• Reflections on the G8 Summit

• Nelson Mandela: Inspiring civil society efforts to create a just world

• Children, youth and the struggle for a just world

• So we think democracy is growing?: Rethinking social exclusion

• You can make difference on ‘Whiteband Day’ - 1 July 2005

• CSW Monthly Bulletin provides a global forum to protect the rights of civil society

• What does democracy really mean today

• The absence of democracy at the World Bank

• Grassroots activism: ordinary people making an extraordinary difference

• Madrid, Manhattan, Manica and Musina: Civic activism driving the agenda for social and political justice

• On International Women's Day civil society wonders if this is Beijing Plus Ten or Beijing Minus Ten

• Internal governance: Responding to the challenge of civil society legitimacy, accountability and transparency

• Poverty or social exclusion - What unites civil society in the North and South?

• Should civil society engage with governing institutions even when they have deep democratic deficits?

• One month gone, eleven to go: Is 2005 the year civil society focuses on its common shared values and agrees to disagree on strategy and tactics?

• The beginnings of the biggest ever mobilisation against poverty launched at the World Social Forum

• Civil Society gears up for a major global campaign against poverty

• What the Tsunami Tragedy means for Civil Society.

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