A/HRC/35/29 political power among predominantly male, private-sector elites, whose actions had precipitated the crisis. 45. A somewhat unconventional approach to the economic crisis was thus grounded in a gender analysis that focused on maintaining gains in equality as part of the economic recovery process. It combined temporary policy and executive decisions aimed at preventing disproportionate effects on women and vulnerable sectors of the population with mechanisms and measures for ongoing monitoring and data collection to ascertain impact. Simultaneously, the Government prioritized the implementation of long-term legal and policy measures to strengthen gender equality. 46. Between 2009 and 2013, the Government introduced temporary measures to counter the shifting effects of the crisis on women and men. As a result of pressure to cover the foreign debt that had been accumulated by national banks, the Government made cuts in infrastructure such as health care and primary education, as well as in family benefits such as parental leave. However, the resulting funds were strategically used to provide nominal increases in basic unemployment benefits, social protection allowances and disability pensions to shelter individuals most affected by the resource cuts. Elderly women and women with disabilities were the major beneficiaries, and women made up almost twothirds of unemployment benefits claimants. In addition, measures to tackle household debt by sheltering low-income and single-parent households from losing their disposable earnings benefitted women, as they were likely to feature more prominently in both categories. 47. Concurrently, the Government maintained a focus on long-term measures to promote gender equality, including the introduction of gender-responsive budgeting, the appointment of gender equality experts within different ministries, the adoption of quotas on the boards of corporations and plans of action for gender equality and violence prevention. The Government also established monitoring mechanisms, such as a gender equality watch and a welfare watch. The welfare watch — which initially operated from 2009 to 2013 under the Ministry of Welfare and a steering committee of experts from Government, labour groups, academia, the financial sector, teachers’ unions, civil society organizations and stakeholders — was in charge of assessing the most pressing welfare issues to be addressed and proposing gender-responsive measures. The model was recognized as innovative and effective. 48. While assessment of the impact of such measures was not uniform, and questions remained about whether the gendered analysis and approach to the crisis had deep impacts on the reconstruction of the economy, it can be said that the gender-sensitive response of the Government pre-empted a regression in welfare and women’s rights that had usually accompanied austerity measures. In addition, knowledge of the gendered and intersectional dimensions of crises and the effectiveness of the responses was enhanced through monitoring and data collection. The policies undertaken in response to the crisis demonstrated not only an uncompromising commitment to gender equality but also an acknowledgment of its centrality to a healthy, robust and resilient society. Key lessons 49. The integration of gender responsive measures and protection of social welfare systems during economic crises can protect women’s human rights gains and, at the same time, support healthy recovery. 50. Efforts to sensitize society to women’s human rights issues and feminist analysis, and their inclusion in Government research and policy, create an ameliorating environment for progressive legal and policy development and implementation, in contrast to a masculinist financial culture of unfettered risk and neoliberal policies. 3. Cultural and family life 51. Cultural rights are central to the realization of women’s human rights. Culture is neither homogenous nor immutable but is often presented as being so, and hence as creating an irrevocable barrier to equality rights for women. States have obligations to recognize and actively combat the deep entrenchment of patriarchal culture based on gender stereotypes in 10