International Women ’s Day, 2021Recognizing Rural Women as Central to Cost-COVID Recovery: An Imperative for International Women ’ s Day

Agricultural biodiversity at the market in Western Bengal. Credit: Krishnasis GhoshBy Haley ZarembaROME, Mar 6 2021 (IPS) In times of crisis, policymakers have a tendency to prioritize economic recovery while leaving “social issues” like women’s empowerment on the backburner. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, women’s leadership is as essential to full and meaningful recovery as it is to basic human rights. As the world mobilizes to design and build a post-COVID landscape, women’s rights, interests and priorities must not only be included in international recovery agendas but pushed to the forefront. To achieve this, women themselves must not simply be included in the discussion, but equitably represented in leadership roles. For these reasons the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” is a cause for celebration as much as a call to action. Women’s considerable achievements at the forefront of global pandemic response have been as laudable as they are essential. They also call into stark relief the disproportionate and undue labor burden that continues to fall upon women in this time of global crisis. While there is a clear and pressing need to achieve more gender-equitable representation in leadership – just a quarter of parliamentary seats are held by women worldwide – women are already on the front lines of COVID-19 response efforts. As the United Nations has stated...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Biodiversity Climate Change Economy & Trade Food Security and Nutrition Gender Gender Violence Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Poverty & SDGs Women & Economy Women in Politics Women's Health International Source Type: news