Gender inequality
1. Gender inequality is context specific: Priority gender issues are very much context related, hence what is considered a priority in a given context may not be a priority in another context. For example, early marriage for girls under 18years is a priority in some countries where this behaviour is practiced and not in countries where it is not a practice.
Power of making decisions
2. Access to decision making: Those with decision making power make decisions that affect all aspects of our lives, from the pay structure to the judicial, the education system and access to any and all services. Whoever has power to decide what rights certain people can or cannot enjoy can reenforce discriminatory practices and change how the law protects people and what rights people can enjoy. For example, the decision to pay female dominated jobs such as caregiving less that male dominated jobs such as plumbing is one example.
National and Legal frameworks
3. National legal frameworks, institutions and practices are skewed against the rights of women: National laws, family codes, institutional frameworks and policies encode discriminatory practices drawn from societal beliefs, making it difficult for women to be treated fairly in the judicial system and formal systems. Women are often treated unfairly in divorces, child custody issues, widowhood,
inheritance, etc.
Data collection
4. Disaggregated data collection and analysis: The only sure way to identify who is discriminated against (male or female) is to collect data, analyze and use it for designing policy, programs or for advocacy. In addition to collecting the data by sex it should also be disaggregated by locality, income, education, age, etc.
Unequal access
5. Unequal access to quality services: Men and women do not often have equal access to services in education, healthcare, financial services, technology, agriculture, land etc. For example, financing of women only services such as maternal health, women’s health are underfunded resulting to higher numbers of maternal deaths and death from women specific diseases such as breast, cervical and ovarian cancers to name a few.
