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