WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

IFAD - UN International Fund for

   Agricultural Development

 

GENDER & RURAL DEVELOPMENT - EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA

 

Direct Link to Full 8-Page 2013 IFAD Publication:

http://www.ifad.org/gender/pub/gender_cen.pdf

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Armenia, two women in the fields on an irrigated potato farm.

KEY GENDER ISSUES

 

Across the region of Europe and Central Asia (CEN), notable gains have been made in the areas of health and education, with health outcomes above world averages, particularly in maternal mortality rates.1 Between 1990 and 2010, the maternal mortality ratio (modelled estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell from 70 to 32 per cent. However, evidence shows that there are still gender gaps in access to economic opportunities, productive resources, land and credit, and decision-making at all levels.

 

Economic empowerment

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, employment in the region has transitioned from more formal, permanent employment to part-time and time-bound work.2 Women are commonly over-represented in vulnerable temporary and informal jobs. Work in agriculture is the prevalent form of female employment and the largest source of income.3

 

In Eastern Europe, women account for 31 per cent of the economically active

population working in agriculture. In Central Asia, the corresponding average is

40 per cent, whereas in countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan it is over 60 per cent. In the Republic of Moldova, for example, 70 per cent of agricultural workers are employed in the informal sector, and 73 per cent of them are women.4 Women in CEN countries are mainly responsible for activities like livestock grazing, mixed cropping, horticulture, olive- farming and household food production. Gender disparities in pay exist for agricultural labourers and other rural occupations. As a result of widespread rural poverty, people often migrate for employment to urban areas and higher-income countries, which makes them vulnerable to health risks, exploitation and abuse.5

 

 

Throughout much of the region, all children have equal access to education, which is a

cornerstone of economic empowerment.6 However, gender disparities are still more common in rural areas than in urban areas, especially in countries with large rural populations such as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.7 Poverty, limited public funding for education, and traditional practices all play a role in this

inequality. For millions of rural people in the region, access to land and agricultural inputs is critical to their families’ food security and economic well-being. However, there is a gap between the legislation and its implementation, even in countries that have legal protection for women regarding access to land and other assets.8