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Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- However, in reading the jurisprudence generated by most of the treaty bodies, it is difficult to escape certain conclusions. First, article 3 of the International Covenants on Human Rights, which asserts equal rights for men and women, has perhaps not been given its fullest reading, especially in terms of access to resources. Second, for all of the attention given to affirmative obligations to eliminate discrimination, much of the work of the treaty bodies seems unduly confined to a focus on specific violations of non-discrimination. Linked to this is a reluctance to develop notions of distributive equality, which has been much debated in the literature, and would give an important added dimension to the effort to combat extreme inequality. Third, the right to equality needs to be given greater attention so that it is able to add substantively to the jurisprudence of international human rights bodies in ways that it has not, thus far. Finally, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has to date done all too little in practice, as opposed to its analysis in general comments, to explore what might be involved in the prohibitions in article 2 (2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights against discrimination based on social origin, property or birth.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure that women and men must have an equal right to family benefits and these should be provided taking into account the resources and circumstances of the household. All women, including those in informal or atypical work, should be granted paid maternity leave and benefits for an adequate period and States must take steps to the maximum of their available resources to ensure that social security systems cover persons working in the informal economy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In addition, States must closely monitor education policies, institutions, programmes, spending patterns and other practices so as to identify and take measures to redress any de facto discrimination in the right to education. States are also required to eliminate any stereotyped concept of the role of men and women in all forms of education, and encourage types of education that will break these stereotypes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The right to work is often a crucial enabling factor for dignity, personal development and social and economic inclusion. The right to work signifies the right to paid work - "the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts". Men and women must be able to exercise this right on equal basis.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- States' neglecting or failing to address women's disproportionate unpaid care workload can be seen as a major failure to comply with the obligations regarding equality and non-discrimination which are the pillars of international human rights law. States must take all necessary measures to ensure that unpaid care work does not have a disproportionate impact on women's enjoyment of rights, and create the conditions to ensure that it is undertaken on a basis of equality between men and women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The unequal distribution of unpaid care work is highly reflective and determinative of power relations between women and men. Discriminatory gender stereotypes, which construe women as second-class citizens whose place is in the home, cause and perpetuate this unequal distribution of work, rendering women's equal enjoyment of rights impossible. Addressing care responsibilities is thus an essential component of the obligations of States to ensure gender equality at home, work and in society more broadly.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- In both developed and developing countries women work longer hours than men when unpaid work is taken into account. However, because of structural discrimination, the work women do in the home is seen as unskilled and less valuable to society, meaning that men not only receive higher earnings but also more recognition for their contribution. This situation renders many women socially and financially dependent on men, thereby restricting their agency and autonomy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Women rely on social services more than men owing to their reproductive and caregiving roles. Thus, if social services remain indifferent to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women, and if economic barriers such as service fees for health and education remain in place, the potential benefits of social protection will be undermined.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- In order to ensure that men and women benefit equally from them, social protection systems must address women's life-cycle risks and the impediments to women's access to work and productive activities, as well as the burden of care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- The positive contribution of social protection to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals depends in large part on access (both economic and physical) to culturally and gender-sensitive social services of good quality. This requires that policymakers understand and take into account the various challenges faced by women and men in seeking to gain access to social services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Social protection programmes must respect and acknowledge the role played by women as providers of care, without reinforcing patterns of discrimination and negative stereotyping. Measures must be taken to promote the value of care and to combine societal and State responsibilities for care work, encouraging men to participate more actively in supporting and caring for family members.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Social protection programmes must be designed to address imbalances, risks and vulnerabilities, particularly with respect to gaining access to productive resources, education, health and work, as well as in terms of the reproductive and productive role of women. This requires adopting and supporting policies that address the specific gender-based obstacles preventing men and women from participating in social protection programmes on equal terms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- States must not dismiss the distribution of unpaid care work between women and men as a matter for the private sphere. As stipulated in article 2 (e) of the Convention, the obligations of States include their duty to act with due diligence to prevent violations of rights by private actors, and the gendered division of labour in households is no exception in this regard. Inequality in these matters reflects and underlies many other aspects of discrimination against women and therefore has much wider implications for women's equality in society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In this respect, women are particularly vulnerable to penalization measures. Due to structural discrimination, women have less representation in structures of power and therefore are disproportionately disadvantaged in their dealings with State authorities and less able to claim their rights. Often penalization measures have a much more onerous impact on women than men, given that women are overrepresented among the poor, have less access to education, employment and economic resources, and assume the principal burden of care and domestic work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Social protection programmes must devote particular attention to intra household dynamics and the inequalities and processes that create them. For example, qualifying conditions for benefits should move beyond the household and address how resources are distributed within it. The use of household targeting methods can put women at a disadvantage by ignoring the fact that women, in particular older women and girls, often receive fewer resources than men and boys, regardless of household income.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Men
- Older persons
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Rights-based social protection systems can support progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by, inter alia, promoting women's participation in economic activities, increasing their participation in the workforce, providing them with income security in old age and improving nutritional levels and food security, as well as girls' access to education. If women cannot, on an equal basis with men, benefit from development, participate in the labour market and participate in public decision-making, the achievement of the Goals will be seriously compromised.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Policymakers should invest in capacity-building to ensure that those implementing social programmes at both the national and the local levels are aware of gender issues. In addition, programmes should encourage capacity-building that empowers women to claim their rights. It is also critical that social protection programmes include built-in participation and accountability channels that are accessible to both women and men. Furthermore, gender indicators must be integrated into the monitoring and evaluation of social programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- States must identify and eliminate the underlying causes of inequality and discrimination in this context, including the causes of pay differentials, and reduce the constraints faced by men and women in reconciling professional and care responsibilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- In support of the view that specific recognition is not required, it might be argued that if a treaty envisages such recognition, it would say so explicitly. Thus treaties dealing with torture, genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity call not just for legislative recognition of the norm, but also for explicit criminalization of particular conduct. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women unequivocally requires States parties "to embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation" (art. 2 (a)). It further obliges them "to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- At present, there is no explicitly stated right to equality, as such, under international human rights law. In order to ground equality as an organizing theme in this area of law, human rights bodies and commentators have relied on provisions such as those in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that proclaim the equal rights of men and women (preamble), that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (art. 1) and that all are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law" (art. 7). These provisions have been paired with those dealing with non-discrimination, which is also considered to be one of the central and foundational principles of international human rights law. Virtually all of the core human rights treaties contain explicit provisions on non-discrimination. Also, for the most part, human rights bodies have been careful to emphasize that the norms of equality and non-discrimination require substantive and not just formal equality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Although many forms of discrimination are inherently unjust, the correlation between gender-based discrimination and economic inequalities deserves special mention since it potentially affects half of the world's population. While both men and women may experience myriad inequalities, based on factors such as their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability, gender-based discrimination is too often seen to be almost exclusively a women's problem. In its World Development Report 2012, the World Bank describes the forms of discrimination that still exist in many countries and that directly affect economic inequality between men and women. According to the World Bank, men and women still have different ownership rights in at least nine countries, and in many countries, women and girls still have fewer inheritance rights than men and boys. In addition, women continue to fare badly in the labour market generally. A stocktaking by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) shows that almost 80 countries maintain restrictions on the types of work that women are permitted to undertake. Also according to UN-Women, at the global level, women's labour force participation rates have stagnated since the 1990s. Currently, only half of women are in the labour force compared to more than three quarters of men. Despite considerable regional variations, nowhere has this gender gap been eliminated: globally, women earn on average 24 per cent less than men. In one study of four countries, lifetime income gaps between women and men were estimated to be between 31 and 75 per cent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Economic and social inequalities are often categorized as "vertical inequalities", referring to the distribution of something such as income, health or power. Vertical inequalities can be distinguished from "horizontal inequalities", which are group-based differences (describing between "whom" the relevant differences occur). Horizontal inequalities may for instance refer to: inequality between men and women, between majorities and minorities, between races, between groups of people with different sexual orientations or between generations. Horizontal inequalities often overlap with vertical inequalities, for instance when women are overrepresented in lower income segments or when a racial minority is underrepresented in political bodies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Based on the principle of equality between women and men, this preparation must include a gender analysis, and members of both sexes must be given the chance to represent their views, including, if necessary, through specially targeted consultations (for example, women-only spaces) and support. Processes to identify participants must not rely on community elites in a manner than can reinforce existing inequalities, for example by requiring attestation from officials or community elites that a person is likely to be "affected" by the outcome of a decision. NGOs with close knowledge of and links with the community in question can assist in identifying those within the community who are most excluded, and support their inclusion and participation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- As the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has stated, relieving women of some of the burdens of domestic work would allow them to engage more fully in the life of their communities. In the short term, States must ensure that women's unpaid care responsibilities are not a barrier to their participation in public and political life on an equal basis with men, at the national, regional and local levels (see A/HRC/23/36). In the long term, to ensure women's full and equal enjoyment of this right, States must work towards an equal distribution of unpaid care work, including by tackling traditional gender norms and stereotypes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- International labour standards also address equal opportunities and equal treatment for men and women workers with family responsibilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Guaranteeing the exercise and enjoyment of women's right to work on an equal basis with men requires that States take all appropriate measures to ensure "that in law and in practice, men and women have equal access to jobs at all levels and all occupations". States must thus take all appropriate measures to address a broad range of obstacles that care providers face in the exercise of their right to work. Given the centrality of unpaid care work to discrimination against women in the field of work, a meaningful gender-sensitive national policy or strategy to tackle these obstacles is essential. Necessary measures range from the adoption of appropriate labour regulations to the provision of quality services to support care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Undoubtedly, women cannot enjoy this right equally if they have a disproportionate share of (unpaid) work at home. Gendered distribution of, and stereotypical assumptions about, family and caring responsibilities are at the root of much of the discrimination and limitations women experience in the labour market: barriers to entering employment, fewer opportunities for advancement, lower wages and higher levels of informal and insecure work. Moreover, women's right to decent work is consistently perceived as inferior to that of men. Simultaneously, discrimination against men who seek to perform a greater share of caring and family responsibilities further entrenches gender stereotypes and disadvantages women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- In order to ensure that women enjoy all their rights on equal terms with men, States must take all appropriate measures to ensure that care responsibilities are equally shared by men and women. The Convention expressly refers to the sharing of responsibility among men and women and wider society in regard to the upbringing of children (preamble). It notes that States parties must ensure "the recognition of the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children" (article 5). This provision requires States to combat patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men within the family and society at large, and to address discrimination in education and employment and the compatibility of work requirements and family needs. States must, inter alia, prohibit discrimination or dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity and ensure that men and women have equal opportunities to choose their profession or occupation (see for example articles 11.2 and 16).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The Convention obliges States parties to take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish laws, regulations, customs and practices that discriminate against women (article 2 (f)). This includes the obligation to modify "the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5). The gendered division of unpaid care work, fostered by stereotypes which delineate men as breadwinners and women as carers/nurturers, is clearly one such practice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Human rights standards are concerned with the pursuit of substantive equality, rather than just formal equality. This is explicit in the approach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which recognizes that achieving equality requires transforming unequal power relations between women and men and ensuring that all human beings can develop and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. The Convention emphasizes that a gender-neutral policy may result in de facto discrimination against women, and that, to ensure that women enjoy the same rights as men and reach substantive equality, they may need to be treated differently.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph