Priority Action Areas
IFUW's work on improving the status of women and girls focuses on four priorities. Within each priority, IFUW has identified two specific areas of concentration for the 2007 - 2010 triennium.
Priority 1: Education for the Girl Child
- Improve access to primary education
- Improve retention of girls at primary and secondary schools
UNESCO estimates that 75 million children are excluded from education. Most of these are girls. Without access to education, girls do not have access to the knowledge and skills they require to improve their quality of life and to empower them to be agents of change in their communities.
Educating girls is an important step in the fight against poverty. An educated girl improves the income of her family and her community. Studies show that increasing the number of educated girls in a country fosters overall economic growth, promotes political stability and reduces health care costs.
Priority 2: Adult Literacy for Women
- Improve access to all forms of literacy for women
- Promote human rights education
Literacy has been identified as one of the most important factors for development. In spite of this, one out of 3 women today cannot read.
Literacy is not just about the basic skills of reading and writing; it is also about providing people with the skills for understanding their lives and their social environment. Literacy is critical to alleviating poverty and to improving the status of women and girls.
Priority 3: Access to and the Advancement of Women in Higher Education
- Remove barriers to women's access to higher education
- Improve gender equality in higher education institutions
Although opportunities for women to participate in higher education have increased in some countries, inequities remain. In many countries, women have yet to equal the enrolment figures of men. Women are under-represented in post-graduate and doctoral programmes, and in the fields of science, technology and engineering. These inequalities can limit women’s access to better employment and income opportunities.
Within higher education institutions, studies have found that men are more likely to reach top positions. When women hold the same rank as men, they are often paid less. Also, certain workplace policies create barriers for faculty women who try to combine work and family.
Priority 4: Women as Leaders and Decision-Makers
- Facilitate access to information about participation opportunities
- Promote change in the culture of work
Women are largely under-represented at most levels of government, especially in ministerial and other executive bodies. Likewise, the under-representation of women in decision-making positions in the areas of art, culture, sports, the media, education, religion and law have prevented women from having a significant impact on many key institutions.
Equal participation of women and men in decision-making is a fundamental basis of democracy and social justice. Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women's perspectives at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved.
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