16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence
Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women
November 19, 2007
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (25 November - 10 December) is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.
Source:
Nobel Women's Initiative
The Nobel Women's Initiative was established in 2006 by six sister Nobel Peace Laureates "to bring together our extraordinary experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality."

World Abortion Policies 2007
April 2007
"... provides the most up-to-date, accurate and objective information available on the legal status of induced abortion for the 195 Member and non-Member States of the United Nations. To complement this information, data on abortion rates, contraceptive prevalence, total fertility and maternal mortality are also provided."

Wall Chart (PDF file - 312K, 2 pages)
Table (Excel file - 143K, 3 sheets)

Source:
Population Division
[ part of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs ]

What women want
National Foundation for Australian Women
Under the WorkChoices industrial relations system, women's pay compared with men has deteroriated since WorkChoices was introduced, regardless of their occupation or education status, and includes professional and managerial women as well as those in lower paid, less skilled work.
Posted 08-06-2007

Source:
APO Weekly Briefing
[ Australian Policy Online (APO) ]

World Health Organization: The Department of Gender, Women and Health
The World Health Organization’s Department of Gender, Women and Health (GWH) “brings attention to the ways in which biological and social differences between women and men affect health and the steps needed to achieve health equity.” On their homepage, visitors can look at the right-hand side to get quick information about upcoming events sponsored by the GWH, read their monthly update, and also click on a link that will take them to the latest publications from the GWH team. On the left-hand side of the page, visitors can learn more about some of their specific areas of interest, including work on gender-based violence, gender and HIV/AIDS, and gender mainstreaming. Additionally, the “Gender and other health topics” area includes information sheets on gender and blindness, gender and mental health, as well as many other topics.
Review by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007

What's New from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development :

OECD work on gender
A new one-stop shop for OECD work on gender
08-Mar-2007
The new OECD website on gender presents recent and ongoing projects aimed at improving gender policy across a wide variety of areas in OECD countries and beyond. It also features "Women and Men in OECD Countries", a brochure presenting interesting facts and figures on gender issues.

"We're Number 14! We're Number 14!"

THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP REPORT 2006
(Posted Feb. 9/07)
Report from the World Economic Forum measures inequality between men and women in four critical areas – economic participation, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival. Canada ranks 14th, lagging behind most European nations.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=95937

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) - University of Toronto

What's New from the World Bank:

Empowering Women, Boosting Economies
New plan says gender equality in the workforce makes economic sense.
Press Release (September 16/06)
At the Annual Meetings in Singapore World Bank Group President, Paul Wolfowitz announced a four-year, US$ 24.5 million plan to enhance women’s economic power in key economic sectors in the developing world. Earlier statements by Mr. Wolfowitz that “women’s economic empowerment is smart economics…and a sure path to development,” spurred the Bank to take the lead in a plan to invest in women’s economic activity in the Bank’s client countries.
Story (October 4)
Gender Action Plan (PDF file - 365K, 29 pages) - September 2006
Gender Website

Time to Deliver:
16th International AIDS Conference
August 14-18, Toronto
- incl. links to : Home - Conference Overview - Conference Programme - Abstracts - Scholarships - Satellites, Exhibitions and Affiliated Events - Registration - Hotel Accommodation - Travelling to Canada - Organization - Sponsors - Volunteers - Governance - Virtual Media Centre - Site Map

Related Links - from Barbara Anello at DisAbled Women's Network Ontario:

Women and HIV/AIDS - the International AIDS conference from women's perspective

Daily Roundup from the 16th International AIDS Conference:

Friday, August 18:
Delegates at the closing of the XVI International AIDS conference in Toronto were reminded that now is the "Time to Deliver."

Thursday, August 17:
The XVI International AIDS Conference began today by addressing the need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to HIV that includes elements some say are often overlooked, like human rights and youth.

Wednesday, August 16:
On Wednesday, achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS was a major focus of the conference. The World Health Organization released new estimates of global antiretroviral therapy coverage.

Tuesday, August 15:
The latest Daily Roundup includes comments from actor Richard Gere and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Monday, August 14:
The Daily Roundup for Monday, August 14 looks at the AIDS 2006 theme – Time To Deliver – and features comments from Bill and Melinda Gates and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

From Amnesty International:

Amnesty International Report 2006 ($)
July 2006
- incl. links to: Regional Overview [including Canada, see the link below] • Asia-Pacific • Europe and Central Asia • Middle East and North Africa) - Key Issues (Arms Control, International Justice, Displaced People, Stop Violence Against Women [see the link below], Death Penalty) - Secretary General's Message - The Search for Human Security - What does AI do?

Stop violence against women:
WOMEN’S RIGHT TO FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE
Some 3,000 representatives from governments and women’s and human rights organizations came together in New York in March 2005 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Beijing UN World Conference on Women and to assess progress towards fulfilling the Beijing Declaration and Program for Action. While governments unanimously reaffirmed the commitments they had made a decade ago, they failed to make further pledges to promote and protect women’s human rights. This failure was in part the result of a retrogressive attack on women’s human rights that has become evident over the past few years. This attack, especially regarding women’s sexual rights and reproductive rights, was led by conservative US-backed Christian groups and supported by the Holy See and some member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The attacks on women’s rights, the changed global security context and the lack of will by states to implement international human rights standards formed the backdrop against which AI continued throughout 2005 to join with women’s groups around the world to promote women’s human rights.

Regional Overview : Canada
"Indigenous women and girls continued to suffer a high level of discrimination and violence. There were concerns that counter-terrorism practices did not conform to human rights obligations. More..."

All Amnesty International Documents on Canada - links to 55 reports

Right of Choice:
It's In Our Hands: Stop Violence Against Women
Amnesty International Report 2006
July 10, 2006
From birth to death, in times of peace as well as war, women face discrimination and violence at the hands of the state, the community and the family. Female infanticide deprives countless women of life itself. Every year, millions of women are raped by partners, relatives, friends and strangers, by employers and colleagues, security officials and soldiers. Women, children and men suffer from violence inflicted in the home, but the overwhelming majority of victims are women and girls. During armed conflicts, violence against women is often used as a weapon of war, in order to dehumanize the women themselves, or to persecute the community to which they belong.
Source:
DAWN-Ontario (DisAbled Women's Network-Ontario)

From The Scout Report, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (U.S.):

Study finds that full-time stay-at-homes would make over $130,000
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12613676/
May 3, 2006
NEW YORK - A full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work, an amount similar to a top U.S. ad executive, a marketing director or a judge, according to a study released on Wednesday.

What a life: Working 9 to 5?and 6 to midnight..
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=137678

What is Mom?s Job Worth?
http://www.salary.com/careers/layoutscripts/crel_display.asp?tab=cre&cat=Cat10&ser=Ser253?=Par622

Mommy Talk: Misconceptions about Working Moms
http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=5371

Digital History: Mothers and Fathers in America: Looking Backward, Looking Forward
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/mothersfathers.cfm

Working Moms Refuge
http://www.momsrefuge.com/

Over the past hundred years, a number of economic and social transformations have resulted in dramatic changes to the American family structure. While debates about this complex topic rages on, one thing is certain: Stay-at-home moms do a great deal of work, and the work encompasses everything from managing household finances to counseling children (and sometimes even their own spouse). This week, the staff at Waltham-based Salary.com released an intriguing study that shows that a full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if she were paid for all the diverse tasks she performs. This amount is similar to the annual wage earned by an ad executive or judge. In order to tabulate these predicted earnings, the survey administrators calculated the earning power of the jobs that 'most closely comprise a mother's role?. Of course, this included such professions as janitor, van driver, psychologists, day-care teacher, as well as several others. Some of the prevailing sentiment among mothers upon hearing about the study can be summed up best by the forthright remarks made by Dr. Laura Riley, a mother of two: "There is no price tag-I'm priceless."

The first link [above] leads to coverage of this story from MSNBC.com, complete with a video commentary by newscaster, Lisa Daniels. The second link will take users to a piece from this Wednesday?s Boston Herald that offers additional insight into the study. The third link takes users to the special page on the wages of stay-at-homes created by Salary.com. The fourth link whisks users away to a very interesting commentary by Marci Laehr (a working mom) on the debates about whether or not to stay-at home full-time after the birth of a child. Visitors can also chime in with their own opinions here, if they so desire. The fifth link leads to a fine essay offered by Professor Steven Mintz of the University of Utah on the changing roles of mothers and fathers in America over the past few hundred years. The final link, appropriately enough, leads to a bit of an electronic refuge for working moms. Here users will find tips for single moms seeking to maintain some balance between their careers and their family life.

The six links and the review above are from The Scout Report,
Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2006. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Related Link - I thought I'd throw this one in for all the Moms out there, just in time for Mother's Day coming up...

Mom Salary Wizard
"Are you wondering what mom should be paid for her work as mom? Salary.com has now valuated the "mom job" of both the Working and Stay at Home Mom! We consulted Stay at Home and Working Moms to determine the top 10 jobs that make up a mom's job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005's salary of $131,471). Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the "mom job" portion of their work, in addition to their actual "work job" salary."
Source:
Salary.com

2006 Global Summit of Women - "The Davos for Women"
Cairo, Egypt
June 10-12, 2006
Informally, called the “Davos for Women” by past participants, the Summit has developed a reputation as a gathering of high caliber participants: for fifteen years, the Global Summit of Women has celebrated women’s leadership by bringing together outstanding women business, professional, and governmental leaders from around all corners of the globe. (...) The Summit focuses on accelerating women’s economic development through the effective use of technology, and maximizing the benefit of cross-border business alliances.
Source:
Globewomen.Com
The Premier on-line source for women in business globally...
Links business women worldwide through three channels: the Global Summit of Women, Corporate Women Directors International and WEXPO Online

Related Link:

Colloquium on Global Diversity: Creating a Level Playing Field for Women
March 16, 2006
"On February 23 and 24, 2006, Chief Commissioner Mary Gusella was pleased to participate in the 2006 Colloquium on Global Diversity: Creating a Level Playing Field for Women, at the Harvard Club in New York. This year’s discussions focused on work/family balance and mentoring programs. (...) The Colloquium is a by-product of the 16 year-old Global Summit of Women, the premier gathering of business, professional and entrepreneurial women worldwide which brought together 925 women from 75 countries last year to discuss how to accelerate women’s economic progress globally.
Source:
Canadian Human Rights Commission

IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY...MARCH 8, 1986
by Martha Friendly
Childcare Resource and Research Unit
March 2006
International Women’s Day 2006 is the twentieth anniversary of the Report of the federal government’s first and only Task Force on Child Care. The key recommendation of the "Katie Cooke Task Force" was a universal system of child care – co-funded by federal and provincial governments. It would have affordable parent fees, would be designed and managed by the provinces under national standards and would be built through a gradual increase in the supply of regulated child care until the year 2001 when it would serve all children and families. The cost at that time, the Task Force calculated, would be $11.3 billion.

Related content from CRRU on child care ===> Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)
(University of Toronto)

Google Web Search Results:
"International Women’s Day"
Google News search Results:
"International Women’s Day"
Source:
Google.ca

The Gender Wage Gap in Four Countries (PDF file - 259K, 22 pages)
[Australia, France, Japan and Britain]
Anne Daly et al
Discussion Paper No. 1921
January 2006
In a series of studies written during the 1980s Bob Gregory and his co-authors compared the gender wage gap in Australia with that found in other countries. They found it was not the difference in human capital endowments that explained different gender wage gaps but rather the rewards for these endowments. They concluded that country-specific factors, especially the institutional environment, were important in explaining the gender wage gap. This study updates Gregory’s work by comparing the gender wage gap across four countries, Australia, France, Japan and Britain. Our results concord with those of Gregory: institutions are still important in explaining the relative size of the gender wage gap.
Source:
Institute for the Study of Labor

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including December 1, which is World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

World March of Women
October 17, 2005 - Join us for the 24 hours of feminist mobilization
"On October 17, women in all time zones will successively take to the streets at noon to stage actions for one hour. This is how they will show their support for the blueprint for society depicted in the Women's Global Charter for Humanity."

Relay of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity, March 8 - October 17, 2005
Between March 8 and october 17, 2005, there will be the world relay of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity. The women from various countries will be passing the Charter from country to country. They will also organise actions to highlight this symbolic passing and the values of the Charter. These women will be sewing together a solidarity quilt that will illustrate the values of the Charter.

Women's Global Charter for Humanity

Related Link:

Canadian Women’s March 2005
Get Ready for October 17th, 2005
24 Hours of Feminist Action and Solidarity
"The Canadian Women’s March 2005 Coalition is committed to the elimination of poverty and violence in Canada and to making the links between local and global actions. We are committed to continuing our work to meet the 13 demands developed by the World March of Women in 2000 to eliminate poverty and violence against women in Canada. Today, major investments on social programs are still needed and none of the 13 demands have been met. This is why in May 2005 we supported relaying the Global Charter for Humanity across Canada. The Charter was created and agreed upon by 6000 women’s organizations world wide. It is based on five core values; equality, freedom, solidarity, justice and peace. It is a feminist vision of a world free of exploitation, poverty and violence."
Related Link:
World March of Women in the Year 2000 - September 2000

From Status of Women Canada:

Beijing +10 at a Glance
Beijing +10 Resources
Beijing +10: Fact Sheets

From WomenWatch*:
[*WomenWatch offers United Nations Information and Resources on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women]

Forty-Ninth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
Beijing +10 (United Nations, New York, 28 February to 11 March 2005)
- meeting of high level representatives from 100+ UN Member States and thousands of NGO representatives to review progress made since the Fourth World Congress on Women held in Beijing in 1995. The Ten-Year Review and Appraisal are part of the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Official Documents for the Commission on the Status of Women 49th Session

Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
and the Outcome Document of the Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly

A Decade of Going Backwards: Canada in the Post-Beijing Era
Beijing+10 UN shadow report
February 25, 2005
"This shadow report provides a comprehensive analysis of Canada’s progress on the commitments it made to women’s equality ten years ago in Beijing.
Source:
Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA)
- incl. "information on Canada’s commitment under the Beijing Platform for Action or the upcoming Beijing meetings in New York (and) links to both the official reports and activities of Canada and the UN, as well as relevant information from women’s organizations around the world."
- incl. links to resources in the following areas: Beijing +10 - Canada Social Transfer - Women, Trade and Economic Justice - Violence, Poverty and Housing - Human Rights in Canada - CEDAW - Gender Budgeting - Pay Equity

Also from FAFIA:

Beijing+10 Research and Resources

Beijing and Beyond "The Women of the World are Watching"
"The Global Week of Action: Beijing and Beyond is an opportunity for everyone to get involved, apply pressure on their governments, demand women's human rights, and celebrate achievements."

Resources List -

Beijing Betrayed
Women worldwide report that governments have failed to turn the Platform into action. (March 2005)
Source:
Women's Environment &Development Organization

International Women's Week
I didn't find many links to meaningful web content on this theme, but the Google News search turned up some interesting articles:

Google News search Results : "International Women's Week"
Google Web Search Results : "International Women's Week"
Source:
Google.ca

Road-Testing the Third Way: Single Mothers and Welfare Reform
during the Clinton,Chrétien, and Blair Years (PDF file - 134K, 11 pages)
Sylvia Bashevkin
Dept. of Political Science, University of Toronto
(The PDF file is dated November 2002)
Source:
McGill Institute for the Study of Canada

Feminist Majority Foundation Online
"The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), which was founded in 1987, is a cutting edge organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence. In all spheres, FMF utilizes research and action to empower women economically, socially, and politically. Our organization believes that feminists - both women and men, girls and boys - are the majority, but this majority must be empowered."

Domestic Violence and Music Therapy
"Examines the power of using popular music, something people already listen to, as a way for people to express their feelings. Includes examples of therapeutic messages in popular music as well as original music by Freudian Slip, therapeutic rock band."
Source:
Music Therapy, and Using Music in Therapy
The Power of Music as a Coping Skill

Canada: Indifference to the safety of Indigenous women must end
Press Release
October 4, 2004
"Canadian officials have too long ignored the threat to Indigenous women in Canadian towns and cities. Many are missing, some have been murdered and Canadian authorities are not doing enough to stop the violence, says Amnesty International in a report, Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada, released today."

Stolen Sisters: Discrimination and Violence
Against Indigenous Women in Canada
A Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns
"Indigenous women and girls deserve the protection of Canadian authorities and Canadian society. The failure to provide that protection is a personal tragedy for their families who have lost sisters, daughters and mothers to racist and sexist violence. It is also a human rights tragedy."

Source:
Amnesty International

Report finds tightening child care crunch for low-income families - U.S.
Associated Press
September 14, 2004
"WASHINGTON – States are charging low-income parents more for child care, putting more kids on waiting lists and paying providers less, tightening a national child care crunch, a study released Tuesday concludes. The study, by the National Women's Law Center, blames tight state budgets and stagnant federal funding. The group and many independent experts say child care is essential for poor and low-income parents, particularly single mothers, to find and keep work."
Source:
San Diego Union-Tribune

Child Care Assistance Policies 2001-2004: Families Struggling
to Move Forward, States Going Backward (227K, 17 pages)
September 2004
By Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Fellow, and
Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy
Source:
National Women's Law Center

Also from NWLC:

Slip-Sliding Away: The Erosion of Hard-Won Gains for Women
Under the Bush Administration and an Agenda for Moving Forward (PDF file - 529K, 77 pages) - U.S.
April, 2004
"In ways both well-publicized and carefully hidden, glaring and subtle, the Bush Administration is rolling back women’s progress in every aspect of their lives. Slip-Sliding Away shows that many of the Administration’s actions with harsh effects on women are occurring almost completely without public scrutiny, and that some of its more well-publicized actions have a particularly harmful effect on women that is not widely known. The report includes recommended actions that should be taken to expand and protect women’s rights and opportunities."

National Study Compares Cost of Living for Working Families in 10 Communities
~ Across America, Minimum Wage Meets an Average of Just 34% of a Family’s Basic Needs~
Press Release (PDF file - 170K, 3 pages)
July 22, 2004
"Washington, DC – The federal minimum wage provides far too little income for a family to make ends meet in communities across the country, according to a new study released today. The report by Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) examines the cost of living and working in 10 areas of the nation and finds that a fully employed parent with two children cannot come close to making ends meet earning the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. The report finds that even with earnings of $12 per hour, family wages on average covered only 72 percent of basic living costs."

Complete Report:
Coming up Short: A Comparison of Wages and Work Supports in 10 American Communities
(PDF file - 212K, 8 pages)
Appendix with Tables (PDF file - 267K, 13 pages)
How Work Supports Impact Family Budgets: An Analysis of the Interaction of Public Policies and Wages (PDF file - 642K, 37 pages)
Statement by Senator Edward Kennedy (PDF file - 89K, 1 page)
Source:
Wider Opportunities for Women

The Status of Women in the States 2004
Women's Economic status in the States: Wide Disparities by Race, Ethnicity and Religion
- incl. links to the news release and the complete report (both of which appear below), as well as links (horizontal "tabs" across the top of the page) to snapshots, maps, rankings, data by topic and policy recommendations --- although a couple of those links didn't work for me using Internet Explorer 6

New Report:
Women paid 68 cents for every dollar white men get;
Hispanic women paid 53 cents on the dollar, African women paid 63 cents (PDF file - 355K, 3 pages)
News Release
April 20, 2004
Nancy Bennett
"A new report paints a portrait of two American economies – one that pays white men $44,200 and another that pays all women dramatically less, from $23,200 for Hispanic women and $25,500 for Native American women, to $27,600 for African American women and $30,900 for white women. Even the highest paid group of women, Asian American women, earn only $33,100, a full 25 percent less than white men."

Complete report:

The Status of Women in the States 2004
Women's Economic status in the States: Wide Disparities by Race, Ethnicity and Religion (PDF file - 642K, 48 pages)
April 2004

Source:
Institute for Women's Policy Research (U.S.)

Speech by the Chief Commissioner to the
Global Colloquium on Creating a Level Playing Field for Women
March 5th, 2004
Washington D.C.
Source:
Canadian Human Rights Commission

Related Links:

Women continue to advance into management ranks, EEOC study finds
Glass Ceiling Phenomenon Differs by Industry
"WASHINGTON - A new study conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector shows that women now represent about 36 percent of all officials and managers in private sector employment, a seven percent increase over the 12-year period examined."
- incl. info about the Global Colloquium on Creating a Level Playing Field for Women

Complete report:
HTML version - includes Executive Summary of the report
PDF version (16.6MB, 42 pages)

Source:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (U.S. Govt.)
"The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national origin); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which protects workers age 40 and older from discrimination based on age; the Equal Pay Act of 1963; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the federal sector; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and in state and local governments; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991."

Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women:
An Open Letter To The Women’s Movement from Amnesty International
March 2004
"We are pleased to launch a global campaign to stop violence against women. We are excited to be joining your long standing efforts to stop violence against women. The women’s movement has long been a powerful force against the tide of violence. Amnesty International, too, has added its voice to the struggle to protect and promote women’s rights. Now we want to concentrate more attention and resources on this issue because we know that violence against women is everyone’s problem. Amnesty members and staff offer our voices to the struggle for a world free of violence against women."

Related Link:

Stop The Violence Against Women Campaign
[ Amnesty International Canada ]

Gender equality: slow progress in closing gender
gap hampering EU competitiveness (PDF file - 80K, 2 pages)
Press Release
[ version française ]
Brussels, 20 February 2004
"The persistent lack of equality between men and women in the EU could impact on its Lisbon goals, according to a new report. Progress has been made in the EU on narrowing the gender gap, but remains slow. The European Commission report will be reviewed by EU heads of state and government at the next European Spring Council on March 25 and 26. It shows that significant gender gaps remain, especially in the labour market. Failure to address this could hamper the EU's attempt to reach the targets set at the Lisbon Council in 2000, such as reaching a 60% employment rate for women in the EU by 2010."

Report on equality between women and men , 2004: Report from the Commission to the Council,
The European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (PDF file - 238K, 20 pages)
Brussels
February 19, 2004

Source:
Employment and Social Affairs
[ European Commission ]
[ Europa ]

The Feminist Explanations for the Feminization of Poverty (international)
February 2003
Working paper n° 351 (PDF file - 143K, 16 pages)
- incl. Canada
"This paper seeks to examine if either household structure or occupational sex segregation can help explain the relatively high poverty rates experienced by female-headed families."
Source:
Luxembourg Income Study Working Papers Number 351-357 (Updated to September 2003)
Click on the link above, then scroll to the bottom of the LIS page for links to all 357 paepers, many of which include Canada and the U.S. in their international comparisons.
[ Luxembourg Income Study (LIS)]

GenderNet
"...describes how the World Bank seeks to reduce gender disparities and enhance women's participation in economic development through its programs and projects. It summarizes knowledge and experience, provides gender statistics, and facilitates discussion on gender and development." Includes policy documents, practical examples in topics such as agriculture and infrastructure, and related links.
Source : The World Bank

Survival at the Bottom: The Income Packages of Low-Income Families with Children (PDF file - 3.7MB, 98 pages) - U.S.
July 2003
Key Findings:
- Low-income families show a strong commitment to the labor market.
- Many low-income workers do not have health insurance.
- Child care costs are high for working, low-income families.
- Low-income families do not have more children than the average American family.
- Contributions from family members and private charities cannot replace the need for government assistance.
- Low-income families depend on multiple income sources.
- Employment precedes marriage for African American single-mothers.
- Income is linked to human capital levels.
"Our research counters many misconceptions about low-income families. This study shows that low-income families are more likely to be two-parent families than single-parent families; display a strong commitment to the labor force; and have average fertility rates. In our sample, the vast majority of low-income families work; they are poor because they are low skilled, earn low wages, and receive few benefits through employment.
Source :
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Free IWPR Reports (all in PDF format)

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
- incl. links to a large collection of official documents available on-line: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) - Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of discrimination against Women - UN General Guidelines Regarding the Form and Content of Reports on the CEDAW - Canada's Fourth Report (submitted to the UN on September 29, 1995) - Concluding Observations of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Canada's Third and Fourth reports, January 1997 - Canada's Fifth Report, Submitted to the UN on March 1, 2002 - Review of Canada's Fifth Report on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women - General Information Responses by Canada to the Advance Written Questions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (October /November 2002) - An update to Canada's Fifth Report Submitted to the United Nations in December 2002 (News Release, January 20, 2003) - Head of delegation speech (January 23, 2003) - Concluding Observations of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Canada's Fifth report, January 2003
Source : Canadian Heritage

Related Links:

International Women's Week Celebrations
News Release Issued March 1, 2003
Source : Status of Women Canada

United Nations WomenWatch site - "The UN Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women"
Provisional Agenda / Official Documents / Statements / Concluding Comments / Press Releases
United Nations Development Fund for Women
- CEDAW
International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW)

Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1775 to 2000
"Organized around a collection of over 900 primary documents, the Women and Social Movements website offers new ways for students, teachers, and scholars to study American History."
- incl. links to Documents - Teacher's Corner (e.g., lesson ideas, projects, links to relevant websites and other resources) - Links (Archives and Webographies in Women's History - Projects in Women's History - Contemporary Women and Social Movements - Teaching Links)
Source:
Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender
[State University of New York at Binghamton]

Social Watch on Poverty Eradication and Gender Equity
"Social Watch is an NGO watchdog system aimed at monitoring the commitments made by governments at the Copenhagen Social Summit and the Beijing World Conference on Women. Social Watch is a meeting point for citizen and civil organizations who care about social development and gender discrimination. It is about monitoring development policies that directly impact, positively or negatively, the situation of women and people living in poverty. And it is about influencing the outcome of policy decisions."

Social Watch Annual Report 2003
There's something for everyone in this report - here are but a few of the topics that are covered:
- From social contract to private contracts: The privatisation of health, education and basic infrastructure
- Public services at risk: GATS and the privatisation agenda
- Privatising human rights – the impact of globalisation on adequate housing, water and sanitation
- Measuring progress
- Country-to-country poverty comparisons
- Statistics showing country by country progress toward social development goals
- Gender gap evolution
- Changes in public expenditure
- Table of Ratifications of Fundamental ILO Conventions
- Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals
- much more, including:
Country reports: Albania - Angola - Argentina - Bangladesh - Bolivia - Brazil - Bulgaria - Burkina Faso - Canada* - Chile - Colombia - Costa Rica - Egypt - El Salvador - Ethiopia - European Union - France - Germany - Ghana - Guatemala - Honduras - India - Indonesia - Israel - Italy - Kazakstan - Kenya - Lebanon - Malaysia - Mexico - Nepal - Netherlands - Nicaragua - Palestina - Panama - Paraguay - Peru - Philippines - Portugal - Senegal - South Africa - Spain - Sri Lanka - Uganda - United Kingdom - United States - Uruguay - Venezuela - Zambia
*Canada Report: Will Canada pawn or polish the jewel in the crown of its social security system? (PDF file - 106K, 2 pages)
January 2003
Armine Yalnizyan and Bruce Campbell
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
HTML version

Global List of Women's Organisations
Links to contact information for thousands of women's organizations from just about every country in the world; select a country from the list and see snail mail and e-mail addresses for an impressive collection of women's resources. You'll even find website URLs for organizations in some countries, but unfortunately not for Canada --- although the Canada section of this site is broken down by province and territory, and the list of organizations is very impressive. [The list of U.S. resources is also broken down by state, and it's enormous...]
Source: Denise Osted
FAQ- includes info about the creator of this site

Winter/Spring 2002 Newsletter (PDF file - 604K, 12 pages)
"Read about the the links between welfare, poverty, and marriage; effective job training; unemployment's impact on women and families; and much more"
Online Publications - IWPR’s latest research (in PDF format) - over 60 links to reports under the following headings : Employment & Economic Change | Democracy & Society | Poverty, Welfare, & Income Security | Work & Family | Health & Safety |
Interactive Social Security Calculator - "an interactive Java-based tool that shows users the real costs of privatizing Social Security"

Marriage Promotion and Low-Income Communities: An Examination of Real Needs and Real Solutions (PDF file - 345K, 6 pages)
June 2002
Briefing Paper
"...analyzes the issue of marriage promotion and TANF and presents proven poverty reduction policy recommendations that would help all families, independent of marital status."

Disabilities Among Children and Mothers in Low-Income Families (PDF file - 237K, 7 pages)
June 2002
Research-in-Brief
"...presents selected findings from an IWPR analysis of disabilities among children and mothers in low-income families. The findings indicate that single mothers receiving TANF are more likely than other mothers to have a child with a disability."

Feminist Perspectives on TANF Reauthorization: An Introduction to Key Issues for the Future of Welfare Reform (U.S.)
February 2002
"The belief that all individuals can and should be self-supporting on market income alone is simply out of touch with the realities faced by many poor single mothers for whom income supports remain necessary for economic survival."
- incl. links to : Key Elements of TANF (Elimination of Cash Welfare Entitlement, Block Grant Funding, Work Requirements, Sanctions, Five Year Time Limit, Family Formation) - Impacts of TANF - Welfare Caseloads and Employment - TANF Reauthorization Issues - A Feminist Agenda for TANF Reauthorization

2002 Women of Our World
by Justine Sass and Lori Ashford
"February 2002 - This Population Reference Bureau data sheet catalogs the status of women in 168 countries with a focus on demography, reproductive health, education, economic status, and political leadership."
- incl. links to information organized by region of the world under the following categories : Demography - Economic Status - Education - Leadership - Reproductive Health; also incl. sources and definitions.
Source : Population Reference Bureau (U.S.)

Gender Equality Links to Web Sites (International)
- Over 250 links, 25+ topic areas
Source : Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Gender-based Analysis Chart for Bill C-11, Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
February 25, 2002
"...key elements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and their potential differential impacts on men and women, and outlines the follow-up activities required to monitor developments over time."
Source : Citizenship and Immigration Canada