Throughout the international community, women have been a primary focus of

the United Nations due to their importance to the economic and social balance

in a country. The advancement of women is a vital issue concerning the world

as the new millenium begins. Although the international community views

women with high regard and of the utmost respect, ancient traditions, one

sided beliefs, and false stereotypical propaganda, which demean and belittle

women are existent in the world today. Historically, women have been victims

of inequality and abusive practices, and due to this, many women never reach

their full potential in the economic world. First, the primary root that

hinders the progress of women is the inferiority complex at an early age.

In document UN/ CRC/ 531, analyzed through UNICEF, an estimated 25% of the

world’s children (developing world) are in the web of child labor. To add to

this, nearly 70% of all girl/female laborers go unregistered, often

performing acts of prostitution and strenuous domestic housework. This form

of unregistered work is dangerous to young girls because the employers often

abuse their employees sexually and physically, as well as psychologically

scarring them for years. This alarming fact can be attributed to the

inequality of education given to young girls. At an early age, many girls

are taught to be inferior to their male counterparts, both mentally and

physically. Currently, 75% of all the world’s illiterates are women, with

this burdensome fact, it is no wonder why women can not fully advance,; and

this is due to their poor access to education. In many countries these

superiority complexes possessed by the males are enforced through gender bias

and stereotypical propaganda. In this abused state of mind, these young

girls often have to deal with many problems, which are not existent in the

lives of most males. Typical gender bias such as this, often plague a girl’s

life until womanhood where even at an older age, she can still be abused.

It is important to address the need for establishing equality in the

household as a primary step in advancing a woman’s role in society. Women are

also subject to traffickers, who force these girls into a life of

prostitution, creating a situation hopeless for economic development. They

are lured by the hopes of earning money for families, instead their lives are

endangered and the possibilities for a successful future become miniscule.

Girls in rural areas are also subjected to several domestic responsibilities

that fail to serve as any type of advancement. The employment of women in

these areas are concentrated in low pay and are denied the opportunities to

be promoted to higher positions of economic growth. The Commission on the

Status of Women stresses the importance for governments to provide equal

access to education, technical assistance, training, and counseling to

further advance women to higher economic positions in the work environment.

Economic advancement of women cannot be established without international

female representation in the community and political scene. Recently, the CSW

proposed the use of quotas and targets in hopes of raising the percentage of

women in government and other decision-making positions. The idea of quotas

was denied but minimum percentages and targets have been strongly endorsed as

a valid strategy. As a part of incorporating women into decision-making,

providing equal access to education and improving literacy rates has been a

priority. The CSW urged governments to designate approximately 20 percent of

the national budget and personal efforts to decrease female illiteracy rates

in comparison to previous years.





UN Actions:

Among the many UN conferences and women advancement campaigns, the UN Fourth

Conference on Women in Beijing made impressive efforts in creating equality

of men and women. The Platform for Action focused on the importance of women

as active decision-makers and as entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas.

Addressing the economic advancement of women specifically, the Division for

the Advancement of Women organized a meeting of Transnational Corporations

and International Financial Institutions to discuss increasing the women’s

role.

     UN organizations also provide much support for the advancement of

women. These include UNIFEM, FORWARD, and the foundation for Women’s Health

Research and Development. Also, women’s rights were put at the center of the

world policy agenda at the International Conference on Population and

Development in Cairo. Further efforts in Beijing were displayed when NGO

representatives and government officials gathered to discuss the aspects of

women’s rights. As a result of such efforts and the cooperation of several

governments, the General Assembly has adopted Resolution 48/104, and 50/166,

which both address the elimination of discrimination against women. The

Commission on Human Rights also adopted resolution 1998/52. The newly adopted

document reiterates much of what was said at the Beijing Conference with

special emphasis on international support.

     Committees such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination

against Women have increased their meeting time by 100 percent. This time is

used to analyze state reports, and consult with other UN agencies on

currently working programs. In correlation with these programs, the World

Bank now lends an average of 5 billion a year for projects that strengthen

the role of women in development. Funding is used many times to set up

micro-credit programs for women to develop businesses and eventually become

financially independent.