Gender Aspect of UN Activities in the Context of Global Transformations

Hladchenko Svitlana,Goliardyk Nataliia,Makohonchuk Nataliia

doi:10.11648/j.history.20210901.20

Abstract

The article presents the historical origins and critical analysis of the activities of the United Nations in addressing the issue of gender equality, identifies the stages of this activity. This analysis is carried out on the basis of the reflection of those historical realities that led to the evolution and real changes in UN policy on gender issues. The reasons for the difficulties in realizing the equality of men and women, formally declared by the UN, are reflected during the two decades of the organization's activity. The author focuses on the significance of the feminist movement of the third wave, which not only allowed the adoption of qualitatively new documents concerning the problem of women's emancipation, but also influenced changes in the structure of the UN, and also contributed to the formation of the corresponding new substructures of this international organization and ensured a certain degree of effectiveness of their actions. The author comes to the conclusion that the historical dynamics in the context of which the UN activities developed led to the transformation of this organization into a truly international one, covering global gender problems, which opens up prospects for their solution at a qualitatively new level.

Highlights

The Beginning of the Era of GlobalismThe beginning of the era of globalism was engendered by the First World War. The most important aspect of this process was the development of the international women's movement and its organizational design
The article presents the historical origins and critical analysis of the activities of the United Nations in addressing the issue of gender equality, identifies the stages of this activity
Mention should be made of the International Women's Union (League) for Peace and Freedom (1919), the International Federation of Women Workers and other international women's organizations, whose activities are reflected in a collective monograph Globalizing Feminisms, 1789-1945 edited by Karen Offen

Summary

The Beginning of the Era of Globalism

The beginning of the era of globalism was engendered by the First World War. The most important aspect of this process was the development of the international women's movement and its organizational design. The undoubted achievement of the international community was the fact of recognition that women during the Second World War, on an equal basis with men, actively participated in the defense of their states and the Geneva Convention adopted in 1949 for the Protection of Civilian Population in Time of War, women were mentioned in articles that women, once captured, are considered combatants and receive the status of prisoners of war. This Convention provides women combatants with special protection in addition to the rights enjoyed by men. This provision of the Convention, developed in Additional Protocol I, contains a provision on the extraordinary dismissal of pregnant women and mothers with young children [7]

UN Document on Equality Between Men and Women

International Conferences on the Status of Women

Conclusion