Mary G. Roebling, Capitalist Feminism, and Marketing American Women’s Economic Rights

Reviewed by: Human Rights and the Global Marketplace: Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions Barbara Stark (bio) Jeanne M. Woods & Hope Lewis, Human Rights and the Global Marketplace: Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions (Ardsley, NY, Transnational Publishers2005); ISBN 1571052747; 959 pp. The human rights community has waited a long time for Human Rights and the Global Marketplace, which explicates—and vindicates—long-neglected economic, social and cultural rights.1 It provides a thorough and rigorous introduction to their theoretical foundations, a gripping and scholarly account of their historical development, and an illuminating up-to-the-minute guide to their practical applications throughout the world. It is a stunning achievement. There have, of course, been precursors, and Professors Jeanne M. Woods and Hope Lewis introduce a new generation of human rights lawyers to the groundbreaking work of Louis Henkin,2 Abjørn Eide,3 Philip Alston, and Henry Steiner,4 as well as rising stars like Antony Anghie,5 Karen Engle,6 and Makau wa Mutua.7 But this book could not have been written until the dust had settled from the end of the Cold War and it would not be so urgently needed had it appeared before what the authors aptly characterize as the turmoil of globalization. Human Rights and the Global Marketplace, in short, is the right book at the right time.8 [End Page 515] Even as globalization has brought unprecedented prosperity to some, it has brought unprecedented impoverishment to many. The polarization between the richest and the poorest is enormous, and growing. The Preface notes the tension between resistance to rights and the selective neoliberal embrace of some rights and asks whether post-World War II frameworks can in fact respond to twenty-first century realities. Even if economic, social and cultural rights are requisite to the enjoyment of any rights, how can they be assured for the most vulnerable? Human Rights and the Global Marketplace provides a powerful set of analytic tools for justifying, understanding, and realizing these rights. This review describes the scope and organization of the project, noting some of the highlights and the daunting problems that remain. The book is divided into four free-standing but complementary parts: I. Discursive Themes, II. International Instruments and Their Implementation, III. Power, Politics, and Poverty: Structural Challenges to the Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and IV. Comparative Approaches. As the authors helpfully illustrate in their Preface, this modular structure offers instructors a broad range of options. Once the foundational material of the first part is grasped, the instructor can proceed to any of the other parts, depending on the objectives of the course. Drawing on politics, economics, history, philosophy, and law, each part carefully builds on the reader's knowledge, making an otherwise overwhelming range of material manageable. The result is a volume that serves both as a student-friendly introduction to a complex and unfamiliar area of the law, and as an invaluable resource for scholars with a working knowledge of economic rights in general seeking a more recondite grasp of a particular right or application. Part I introduces the major themes of the volume and serves as a compelling introduction to human rights, accessible to undergraduates but equally rewarding for more sophisticated graduate and law students. Chapter 1, Global Narratives/Global Realities, begins with a collection of unforgettable stories, vividly illustrating the effects of the denial of economic rights.9 As philosopher Richard Rorty observes, such stories drive human rights by enabling the reader to emphasize with those denied them.10 They teach compassion. Lewis and Woods are demanding teachers, however, and these stories and data are also intended to stimulate rigorous analysis and challenge feel-good assumptions. The materials in Chapter 1 begin with three provocative questions: (1) Why should any of these issues rise to the level of a human rights concern?; (2) If the problems described are human rights violations, who are the respective rights-holders and duty-holders and what remedies would be appropriate?; and (3) How would you rank the issues in comparison to classic violations of civil and political rights, for example, reports of torture of political prisoners?11 The authors suggest that students revisit these...

Identify and Explaining the Social and Economic Factors Affecting Rural Women Empowerment (Case Study: Rostam County)

Background Women's economic rights are pivotal for achieving gender equality and sustainable development. Despite global advancements, women in developing countries, particularly in Uganda, continue to face significant hurdles due to socio-cultural norms, legal barriers, and more recently climate change. In Uganda, efforts have been made to enhance gender equality, but their impact is limited, especially in rural districts. This study focused on selected districts to evaluate the status of women's economic rights, exploring the challenges and facilitators within the context of climate change. Objective To assess the status of women’s economic rights in Gomba, Butambala, and Kabarole districts, identifying the barriers and facilitators affecting these rights, and evaluating the impact of climate change on their economic empowerment. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional mixed-method approach in Gomba, Butambala, and Kabarole districts of Uganda, among 291 grassroots women aged 18 years and above engaged in agriculture and other ventures. A digitized semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were performed to summarize the variables and inferential statistics, to explore relationships between independent variables and women’s economic rights using Stata version 15 software. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically to provide insights into the contextual factors influencing women's economic rights. Results Of the 214 women in the study, 66.8% were aged 25–44, and 43% had attained secondary education. Nearly all (98.6%) engaged in income-generating activities, mainly farming (64%) and business/trade (26.5%). About 28.8% earned 300,000 Uganda shillings or more monthly, with 76.4% spending on school fees, 81.6% on health, and 50.5% on food. While 68.2% had access to land, only 33.6% legally owned it. Financial services were accessible to 86%, with 72.6% using loans and 40.2% having applied for one. Approximately 68% always participated in household income decisions. Close to half (47.7%) scored moderately on economic rights, and over 93% observed weather changes, such as decreased rainfall (69.9%) and increased droughts (63.8%), leading to reduced crop yields (76.8%) and crop damage (75.8%). Respondents adopted strategies like income diversification (42.6%), saving groups (31.6%), irrigation (30.6%), and crop diversification (29.2%).

Increasing gender equality and enhancing women empowerment through work opportunities are the important steps in achieving sustainable development. The aim of this paper is threefold: (1) to empirically examine the relationship between women economic rights and economic growth for the global sample. (2) To explore whether the effect of women’s economic rights is different across different economies. (3) This paper uses spatial econometric techniques to examine the impact of women’s economic rights on neighbouring countries. For empirical purpose, we use the data for 171 countries over the period 1960–2016. The results show that women’s economic rights positively affect growth; however, the effect is heterogeneous across different economies. From spatial analysis, we confirm that 75% spillover effect of women economic rights is passing through neighbouring country. The results of this study are consistent and coherent with the EU policy about women’s economic empowerment where it claims that joint effort in promoting women empowerment by all actors could lead to sustainable development and growth.

This longitudinal evaluation of gender inequalities and economic growth addresses key questions in the evolving debate over the character of gender differentiation and the goals of womens empowerment. These questions include: 1) whether the impact of strategies of economic growth served to enhance or undermine the status of women; 2) whether changes in the status of women were accompanied by significant changes in gender inequality; and 3) the implications for existing debates. Section I reviews several sets of literature pertinent to the questions using three general approaches: modernization-neoclassical women in development and gender and development. Section II presents the data and methods used in the evaluation. The research assessed the contending interpretations reviewed in the first section by combining another set of cross-sectional and longitudinal data on womens status and inequalities between men and women with other existing indicators. Section III discusses the results in the following order: 1) cross-sectional patterns in womens status; 2) trends in womens status; 3) cross-sectional patterns in inequality between men and women; 4) trends in inequality between men and women; and 5) conclusion. Finally section IV presents an overall discussion of the findings of the whole longitudinal evaluation.

PROTOCOL: The Effects Of Economic Self‐Help Group Programs On Women's Empowerment: A Systematic Review

In March 2010, representatives to the Commission on the Status of Women gathered in New York to assess the progress that has been made in the achievement of global women's rights. This meeting marked the 15th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. Although the regional reports compiled for this fifteen-year review showed notable progress in some areas, including the development of domestic legislation, there remained a considerable gap in many countries between the de jure and de facto status of women. This was particularly evident in the categories of poverty alleviation and women's economic empowerment. A lack of disaggregated data, combined with context-specific barriers as well as the historical prioritization of civil and political rights, has hindered the process of translating legal respect for women's economic rights into their fulfillment. Through considering the case study of women's employment protections and property rights in Ghana, this chapter illustrates that it is not simply a lack of legal protections that results in rights being left unfulfilled. Local information about the ways that individuals engage with these laws on an everyday basis is essential in implementing human rights-related policies. Legal reforms must be coupled with programs that account for the social, political, and cultural conditions that lead to barriers in rights attainment.

The article discusses the municipal legal problems of the formation, implementation and guarantee of economic human rights. The role and importance of the institutions of local self-government in the conditions of the formation of a market economy are examined. It is proved that the sustainable development of territorial communities and the effective functioning of municipal authorities depend on the level of economic development in the state, the standard of living of people, the social structure of society, and the like. Therefore, the economic guarantees of the municipal government and human rights in the field of local self-government are the economic system of society, which is based on the principles of a market economy; unity of economic space; free movement of goods, services and financial resources; support for competition, freedom of economic activity, business and labor; recognition, pluralism, equality and protection of various forms of ownership, including communal ownership. The author believes that local self-government not only captures the political, spiritual and moral values and social achievements of mankind in any social development, but also becomes the most sensitive matter of its economic growth or decline. Also at this level of public authority organization there is a dialectical combination of the will of the legislator with the specific socio-economic interests of the local population. It is argued that only in those states in which local self-government and fundamental values of municipalism are recognized, exist, practiced and comprehensively guaranteed, as a rule, can an algorithm be formed according to which the legislative branch is elected democratically, the executive branch is controlled and accountable to it (political aspect), and the economy is developed, market, constant, and the like. It is concluded that the study of human rights in general and of economic rights and freedoms in the context of local self-government, as well as the conceptualization of local self-government through the prism of constitutional economy, market relations, economic security, etc. is one of the most pressing tasks of legal science. This has not only scientific and theoretical significance, but also, first of all, practical significance: both from the point of view of developing legislation, and in terms of resolving specific issues of the formation of real local self-government and the establishment of market relations, the formation of effective mechanisms for ensuring economic human rights in the community.

The tribal communities in central India are excluded in many ways from accessing and benefiting from the fruits of mainstream development. Within tribal groups, women are more marginalized and sidelined than men despite their multiple roles in the household. Women’s exclusion from the mainstream knowledge systems, market sphere and their limited access and control over the resources affects the overall development of tribal communities. Key for economic growth of tribal communities is the equal participation and promotion of women’s physical and economic rights. This necessitates for a purposive design of activities and institutional mechanisms for both socially inclusive economic empowerment and environmentally sustainable growth by building their knowledge and skills to restore NTFP-based value chains for sustainable livelihoods. The present paper is an attempt to analyse and document the findings of an inclusive Lac livelihood model executed by Udyogini, a national-level NGO established by World bank in 1992, with support of PACS to address the geographical, social, technological and economic inclusion of tribal women in the Lac supply chain and downstream market integration to improve their incomes in Gumla district of Jharkhand state. It is found that by employing inclusive strategies, scientific technologies and participative approaches, the socially excluded women could be organized, engaged and integrated successfully by leveraging proven Lac-based livelihood model in the value chains and markets for increasing their incomes. The women demonstrated entrepreneurial abilities to handle markets and acquired economic empowerment over the incomes generated for family needs, mostly for education and health, while in some cases for assets building. The case study provided ample evidence that disadvantaged women could be receptive, Cooperative and capable of acquiring new skills and leadership responsibilities for value chain refinement, micro-enterprise development and management through appropriate training and skill building. Udyogini in partnership with PACS has revived the neglected and insignificant Lac-based livelihoods for social and economic inclusion of tribal women through inclusive approach in the trouble torn Gumla district in Jharkhand.

The extant literature views the decision to protect women’s economic rights as made by firms and neglects the role of the state. This study argues that states are pressured to improve the protection of these rights by enacting gender parity–promoting policies in response to similar policy choices by their economic competitors, resulting in a specific type of policy interdependence—the upward policy convergence. Additionally, this convergence should be stronger in laws than in practices because some states continue to benefit from women-suppressing policies, and because improving laws is less costly than improving policy implementation. Using newly coded global data from 1999 to 2009 on women’s economic rights that distinguish between laws and practices, spatial econometrical analyses support these conjectures. Essentially, this study shows that the race to the bottom is not the sole consequence of globalization, a climb to the top is possible as well when we look closer and more carefully. In other words, trade and capital dependence can generate positive policy gains too.

The guarantee of fundamental health and economic rights and the role of gender equality are still relevant and quotidian topics, especially in developing countries. Despite the constitutional guarantees within the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, women’s status remains significantly lower than men’s, primarily due to lower income, limited access to education, and various social constraints. Due to the absence of social security, health insurance and lack of financial autonomy and self-sufficiency, females often could not access healthcare independently. This situation is changing for women and their families in Ethiopia. The study aims to assess the role of community-based health insurance (CBHI) in fostering the health and economic empowerment of women’s rights. The CBHI proves to be an effective means of social security that boosts the provision of health services to members of susceptible peoples, which can improve health knowledge, preventative healthcare measures, and maternal and child mortality rates. This initiative can considerably increase women’s access to healthcare services while also providing them with chances for economic empowerment. Those women who are CBHI members spend less on healthcare (reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures), allowing them to increase household income and allocate more resources towards other household expenses or savings. Due to the enrolment, women and other parts of their families have the opportunity for decision-making power and freedom to decide about their health because of financial constraints. Increasing access to the CBHI programs and ensuring that these are accessible to all women and other marginalised communities can help address gender disparities in healthcare access and economic opportunities, ultimately leading to a more equitable society.

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether terrorist attacks against schools and other educational institutions were more common in states with little respect for human rights for a sample of 75 countries from 1981–2010 using the Global Terrorism Database. Specifically, we examined whether religious repression by governments, state terrorism against civilians and female political and economic empowerment would influence attacks against schools and terrorist attacks against any targets. We found that government oppression of religious expression was associated with increased terrorist attacks against educational targets and that some levels of government violence against its citizens was associated with both increased terrorist attacks against educational targets and, to a lesser degree, all targets. Greater political empowerment of women was associated with increased terrorist attacks against educational targets. On the contrary, increased economic rights for women was associated with some decreases in terrorist attacks against educational targets and to a lesser degree, against any type of target. We concluded that government behaviour at the state level can affect terrorist behaviour and targeting by terrorist individuals or organizations when governments manufacture grievance by denying civilians human rights, including rights to religious expression, safety and security, and political and economic rights for women.

This paper examines, both theoretically and empirically, the relationship between rapid-onset disasters and women's economic freedom. Rapid-onset disasters create difficulties for all involved, but without proper discussion of and changes to women's economic status in society, they will continue to suffer disproportionately. The study answers the following question: 'how do disasters impact women's economic empowerment?'. It argues that there are underlying factors contributing to unequal economic opportunities that are exacerbated by disasters. Current literature discusses how disasters affect women's economic and political rights, but often it does not account for variables that may not have been captured in contemporary indices. The paper assesses women's burden of care, restrictions on mobility, formal economic employment, and access to recovery resources with respect to their economic empowerment. And it analyses 180 countries and territories that experienced disasters between 1981 and 2019 to uncover their effects on women's economic freedom. This research could facilitate and help to alter the overall narrative on women's empowerment.

In Nigeria, several governments have embarked on a number of social investment programs aimed at poverty reduction, job and wealth creation, economic growth, and positive social development. However, the extent of the impacts of these programs on the beneficiaries’ economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development is not yet ascertained in many parts of the country. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the extent of the impact present administration’s social investment program (N-SIP) towards beneficiaries’ economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. This study's population comprised a total of 10,267 beneficiaries of the program from nine selected local government areas in Bauchi state. However, a total of 630 beneficiaries were chosen using a proportionate random sampling technique to serve as the sample of the study. Structured questionnaire forms on the impact of social investment programs on entrepreneurship development were used as the instrument for data collection in the study. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, and a t-test was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between N-SIP and beneficiaries’ economic empowerment. Furthermore, the results showed a significant relationship between N-SIP and entrepreneurship development in the country. These imply that social investment programs have significantly impacted the beneficiaries economically and also helped in the development of entrepreneurship in the country. This study provides valuable insights to numerous stakeholders in the area of social investment and entrepreneurship development. Finally, future directions of the study are also provided.

Half of the brainpower on Earth is in the heads of women. They provide an essential opportunity for economic and social development and progress. Women’s participation in any kind of economic activity is of a complementary nature to their family incomes; their participation in no way reduces their family duties. Women’s equal rights are now defined by women’s economic empowerment and the ultimate empowerment is through entrepreneurship. So, Government and private sector interventions have generally accelerated income-generating activities of women both in the urban and rural areas with entrepreneurship development. The ways in which women are involved in this sector are through selling labor (Wage labor), engaging in trading activities (self employment) and operating small industrial productions (enterprise owners).Working as labor may give them temporary employment but it does not improve their conditions or promote their advancement. Scope of trading activities especially in the rural areas, in view of extensive poverty and the large number of people who need to engage in income earning activities, is limited. Engaging in production or rural industrial activities seem to be the most viable avenue for which the women should be assisted to take up. Non-government organizations have equally joined hands with the government efforts for economic salvation and provided various forms of opportunities for women to help them earn living, paving the way for greater entrepreneurship development. Women have now become aware of their socio economic rights and have ventured to avail the opportunities initiated for them. Rural Bangladesh is now a changed scenario for the women who have gathered courage to break barriers and enter the off house working force as entrepreneurs and workers- a situation not appropriate for women or accepted by the society in the past. The urban areas have greater opportunities for business development but the areas where women lack assistance are in the access to credit, provision of skill training, and market facilities