Special attention for women is much needed
The frequent inequalities in the relative roles of men and women in developing countries obstruct the progress of the structural and sustainable fight against poverty. Women who forcefully stand up for their rights, needs and desires are invaluable to a fairer and better society. Hivos works toward improving the position of women in political, social and economic terms.
Many girls and women in developing countries still have less chance of a proper education, a steady income, a say in society and political matters, not to mention the right to sexual freedom. Hivos believes this to be a bad thing.
Unequal roles between men and women are one of the most universal forms of inequality, and one of the greatest obstructions in the sustainable and structural fight against poverty. Inequality between men and women is a violation of women’s rights, hampers development and sustains and increases poverty.
However, the concept of ‘gender’ indicates that the subordinate position of women is not caused by biological factors. Gender means rules, traditions and social roles within societies and cultures, which together define what is regarded to be male and female behaviour. Those standards are not the same everywhere, and change with time.
Together with its partner organisations, Hivos fights for empowerment of women, meaning that women are increasingly capable of insisting on their rights, needs and desires, both individually and as groups. That is why Hivos supports organisations that give women a voice, allow them greater freedom and encourage them to participate in society. The aid granted to these organisations focuses primarily on reinforcing and improving their organisation, their methods and their contacts, to help them to achieve their goals.
Hivos aims for change in the following areas:
- Improving the living conditions of women and providing their basic necessities, such as food, healthcare and income;
- Improving women’s access to instruments needed for development, such as knowledge, credit, land and labour;
- Reinforcing women’s sense of dignity and improving their awareness of their position in society;
- Promoting equal participation by women in decision-making processes at various levels;
- Helping women become empowered with regard to their own bodies and choices in life.
Hivos regards gender, women and development to be not so much a female issue as a universal issue of human rights. For Hivos, women’s rights are so important that it demands that all its partner organisations include women’s rights in their policies.
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