A holistic approach to gender equality

Gender equality and women’s rights has been cited in conferences such as the Beijing +5 as a critical element to development efforts and peace building. Despite considerable energy invested to further social justice and achievement of major gains for women through policy reforms and in policy and workplace practices, positive outcomes for women’s lives are far from the norm. We’ve found two reasons for the lack of more progress. One is that insufficient attention has been given to factors holding inequality in place, such as cultural norms that maintain the gendered division of labor, the restrictions on women owning land, or customs that condone violence against women. The second reason for lack of progress is the predominance of approaches that give preference to rationality and the mind over the body… Read Full Article