The equal sharing of responsibility between women and men,
Including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS
Possible points to raise from SG Report in Breakout sessions
• The Report gives a good overview of known policies and legal frameworks and trends in this area and outlines commonly understood causes and consequences of unequal sharing.
• Their application to HIV/AIDS context is made in general terms. However the document does not convey the urgency of the situation nor propose significant/new remedies.
• Some aspects which could be highlighted in general:
1. Exploration of the physical, social and psychological consequences of unequal sharing is needed in addition to the economic dimension.
2. Economic goals which could come from greater sharing of responsibilities could be more explicitly linked to the achievement of the MDGs.
3. Issue of access to work for women is not adequately addressed. Lack of access accentuates the inequality and pushes women into situations of taking greater responsibility for domestic and caring roles.
4. Some specificity about the kinds of education and training proposed is needed e.g
~ in human rights for all, but particularly for women and girls
~ in confronting and breaking down gender stereotypes;
~ in adequate training for carers in HIV/AIDS context
• The contribution of older women, particularly in their role as key carers in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is overlooked.
• Greater attention needs to be given to the role of Girls in their role as carers.
• Priority needs to be given to establishing and implementing policies that aim to redistribute the balance of responsibility between men and women.
• The Conclusions communicate passivity on the part of women. They are ‘acted upon’ rather than being seen as agents of change. There is need for more powerful Conclusions that point to possible remedies.
In developing their talking points it is recommended that Breakout Sessions focus on
1. Developing strategies for change
2. Generating examples of best practice.
It is advisable to read the Final Report of the Expert Group Meeting, especially sections 4-6 at
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/equalsharing/FinalreportEGMFeb.pdf
Update 2/17/2009
