By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil—A conference on issues affecting women in Latin America and the Caribbean was held this week in Brazil with hopes of achieving equality between men and women.  Members called on regional governments to ensure women’s autonomy and economic empowerment.

The eleventh session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).  Over 800 delegates were present, representing more than 30 nations.  The theme chosen for the conference was “What kind of State?  What kind of equality?”

ECLAC presented a position paper, the Brasilia Consensus, detailing past accomplishments and future challenges in the realm of gender equality.  The document announced that women in Latin America and the Caribbean are burdened by a heavier overall workload than men, much of which is unpaid domestic labor.  Women in the workplace are still discriminated against and receive lower wages than their male counterparts.  The paper proposed a social covenant that would balance workloads more evenly between men and women and facilitate women’s access to paid jobs.

“It will not be possible to achieve equality for women in the workplace until the burden of unpaid and care work, which they have historically shouldered, has been resolved,” said ECLAC’s executive secretary, Alicia Barcena.  “This calls for the establishment of a new virtuous equation that encompasses the State, the market and the family.”

ECLAC’s data from 2008 reports that 31.6% of women over age 15 —but only 10.4% of men– had no income of their own.  8.3% of women were unemployed, while only  5.7% of men were in similar circumstances.

Other goals mentioned in the Brasilia Consensus included women’s increased participation in political processes, access to new technologies, and the elimination of all violence against women.  For women suffering as victims of violence, the Consensus demanded justice and free legal assistance.

Members of the conference promised solidarity with earthquake-ravaged Haiti and Chile, agreeing to aid in reconstruction and work for gender equality in those countries.

A delegation from the conference was received Wednesday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and handed the Brazilian leader a copy of the Brasilia Consensus.  The same day, the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women was introduced.

For more information, please see:

CRI English-“Brasilia Consensus” Calls for Women’s Rights-17 July 2010

Jamaica Observer-Caribbean women still getting raw deal in labour market-16 July 2010

Unifem-Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean Calls for New Social Covenant to Achieve Equality in the Workplace-16 July 2010