Here are some articles we have collected so far:

• Necessary terminology, here

• Gender issues in the Republic of Belarus and in Ecosphere, here

• Statistics of some of the European Countries, here

• We need a Gender Revolution, here
  Statement of participants at the study session
  4th to 11th of December 2005, EYC, Budapest, Hungary

• X-raying the sexual revolution (First Brochure - Publication of CDN, 2005)

• Gender Equality! (Second Brochure - Publication of CDN, 2006)

Necessary terminology

Affirmative action: or positive discrimination is a policy or a program providing access to systems for people of a minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated against, with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society. This consists of access to education, employment, health care, or social welfare.

Androgyny: Person with ambiguous gender.

Biological sex: It’s the sex you are born with in your body, though you may feel uncomfortable or wrong with it.

Domestic violence: Physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse on a person living in the same home.

Drag queen, drag king: Persons who perform for fun or for art, as a show, a stereotyped image of the opposite gender

Ecofeminism: Feminist movement that considers that women have, naturally or culturally (big debate) a better way to deal with Nature than men.

Essentialism: Feminist point of view according to which women must have a decent place in society because they bring different and more positive values than men.

Feminism, pro-feminism: Struggles to achieve equality between the two genders. Men who share this struggle usually prefer to call themselves pro-feminist.

Gender: It’s preferable to speak about the gender of a person than of his/her sex. Sex is a biological fact, gender insists on the social construction made from this biological sex. In a variety of different contexts, gender refers to the masculinity or femininity of words, persons, organisms, or characteristics. The classification into masculine and feminine is analogous to the biological sex of the referent, often by physical or syntactical analogy, linguistic decay, misunderstandings, societal norms, or personal choice. The nature of this categorization varies depending on the context. For example, gender can be used to refer to the differences in biological sex between two members of a species, or different characteristics of electrical connectors. On the other side, in feminist theory, gender is used to refer solely to socially constructed differences between male and female behavior, and the gender of a noun in many languages may have nothing to do with the concept described by it

Gender discrimination: action that specifically denies opportunities, privileges, or rewards to a person or a group because of their sex.

Gender equality: is the concept that the genders should be legally and socially equal.

Gender identity: describes the gender with which a person identifies (i.e., whether one perceives oneself to be a man, a woman, or describes oneself in some less conventional way), but can also be used to refer to the gender that other people attribute to the individual on the basis of what they know from gender role indications (clothing, hair style, etc.). Gender identity may be affected by a variety of social structures, including the person’s ethnic position, employment status, religion or irreligion, and family.

Gender roles: It’s a set of behavioural norms associated with males and with females in a given social group or system.

Gender stereotypes: are considered to be a concept held by one group about another. They are often used in a negative or prejudicial sense and are frequently used to justify certain discriminatory behaviors. This allows powerful social groups to legitimize and protect their dominant position

Gender studies: Theoretical work in social sciences or humanities that focuses on issues of sex and gender in language and society.

Gynocentric: Ideologically focused on females, and issues affecting them, possibly to the detriment of males.

Homophobia: Systematic hate or aversion towards gays and lesbians.

Intersex: Persons born with ambiguous genitalia. It happens a lot that intersex babies are mutilated to be assigned one biological sex, female.

LGBT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.

Masculinism: Concern for male identity that can put in danger the achievements of anti-sexist and feminist struggles.

Misogyny: Systematic hate or aversion towards women.

Patriarchy: Sociological condition where male members of a society tend to predominate in positions of power.

Pornography: is the representation of the human body or human sexual behavior with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica. Pornography may use any of a variety of media — written and spoken text, photos, sculpture, drawings, moving images (including animation), and sounds.

Prostitution: is the sale of sexual services, such as oral sex or sexual intercourse, for money. A person selling sexual services is a prostitute, a type of sex worker. In a more general sense of the word, anyone selling their services for a cause thought to be unworthy can be described as prostituting themselves.

Queer: Originally an insult against LGBT people, used now by most of them to define themselves, and to name academic studies on this topic.

Reproductive rights: Women’s rights including the right to reproduce (against forced sterilization) or not to reproduce (for the right of contraception or abortion).

Sex: is one of two specimen categories of species that recombine their genetic material in order to reproduce, a process called genetic recombination, or conjugation. The somewhat similar term gender has more to do with identity than biology. Typically, a species will have two sexes: male and female. The female sex is defined as the one which produces the larger gamete (i.e., reproductive cell) and which bears the offspring. The categories of sex are, therefore, reflective of the reproductive functions that an individual is capable of performing at some point during its life cycle, and not of the mating types, which genetically can be more than two.

Sexual harassment: Intimidating unwelcome sexual advance.

Sexual identity: Gender or sex with which a person identifies or is identified.

Sexism: is commonly considered to be discrimination against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all differentiations based on sex. Sexism can be the belief that one sex is superior to the other, that men and women are very different and that this should be strongly reflected in society, language, the right to have sex, and the law, and it can be a simple hatred of women (misogyny) or hatred of men (misandry).

Sexual orientation: It refers to the gender of a person’s amorous or erotic desires. It can be the same gender (homosexuality), the opposite gender (heterosexuality), both (bisexuality), or none (asexuality).

Sex Trafficking: includes recruiting, harboring, obtaining, and transporting persons by use of force, fraud for the purpose of subjecting them to involuntary acts, such as commercial sexual exploitation (including prostitution) or involuntary labor, i.e., enslaving them. Human trafficking is the trade of human beings and their use by criminals to make money. This often means forcing or tricking people into prostitution.

Transgender: A transgender person can have a transformation from male to female (M to F) or from female to male (F to M). This transformation can be physical and permanent in the case of transsexuals. Other journeys through gender can be for fun, art, mental comfort, intellectual curiosity, social conformism, all of them are respectful.

Universalism: Feminist point of view according to which women must be given equality with men for the reason that they are both human beings.

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There are not any equality between women and men in Belarus. Men have a dominant position. Especially this is shown in economy field of life. For example about 70% of jobless are women. Women work basically in such spheres as health care, education and administrative positions. For be engaged in these works it’s necessary to have a high education. Nevertheless these types of job usually have very low level of salary. At about education, women have more high level of education then men. From all amount of working population high-educated woman consist 45.7% and high-educated men only 30.2%. But in spite of this women are engaged especially in low-paid and low-quality job.

For example, about 80% of schoolteachers are women, but only 40% of school chiefs are women. Only about 40% of women population work as chief or vice-chief. Only 29% of deputies in Parliament are women. This number is increasing due to wishes of President to see in Parliament 30-40% of deputies-women. But women themselves are interested in politic not enough. According to recent social polls 7% of women consider that politic is very important for their lives and 24% consider that politic is likely important. Below you can see also results of social polls about rights and possibilities for participation in political life.

68% of people consider that men have more rights and possibilities for participation in political life.
31% of people consider that man and women have equal rights and possibilities.
1% of people consider that women have more rights and possibilities.

Also discriminated for women are age limits in high schools. Many of women may enter to high school only after fecundity age. Withal women have less opportunity to receive education, which related with highly paid job. There are small amount of women have high academy degrees. Chairs of high schools usually are men. Taking into account traditions of academic freedom and autonomy of high schools, it is possible to speak that in our country the same as in others, there is a latent discrimination of women in the higher school. Thus, for women the major human rights - the right for “long life education” are broken.

Last time is shown high growing dynamic of crime in which women are victims. At the same time is observed grow of women’s crime. Women are victims of violence in families. Women perceive such violence from their husband as a norm and not address to police. Violence traditionally exists in byelorussian families.

These results show that in our country are kept traditional patriarchal views. And it is considered that women must take care of family, bring up children, but not make a carrier in a job or in politic. Basically age of marriage for women is 18-23 years, for men is 25-32 years. So for this age men usually have a good economy positions and independence. And women in this age only finished school or high school and haven’t any job and quality. That is why usually women become dependent of their husbands.

In conditions of crisis in Belarus it is possible to ascertain reduction of powers and freedom of a choice for the majority of women as they do not presume even necessary purchases for maintenance of ability to live of families, and a choice of goods is extremely limited for those who has smaller incomes.

Women constitute about 53% of population. Average duration of women’s life is 74.3 years and men’s life is 64.6 years. So, as you can see women live more long than men. It is a result of increasing of alcohol consumption and permanent psychological stress, due to instable life. Withal amount of women, who have an alcohol dependence, is increased.

Actual problem at present time is excess of mortality on birthrate. During last ten years birthrate was decreased on 37% and mortality was increased on 25%.

In our organization, which is called International Public Association “Ecosphere”, men and women have equal rights. In the Council of organization we have equal amount of men and women: two men and two women. But basic active part of organization is consisting from women. This phenomenon is charactering not only for our organization. Women are most active participants of various public organizations.

Polina Bondareva
Member of Council
IPA “Ecosphere”

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Statistics of some of the European Countries

Albania
Population (2004): 3.1 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2.210
Total labour force(2004): 1 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 42%
Economically active women/ total women population: 49%
Unemployment rate(2004): 15.2
Female unemployment rate(2004): 18.3
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.6
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 28%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 6%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 61%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 90%
Births per women (2004): 2.2

Belarus
Population (2004): 9.8 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2.140
Total labour force(2004): 5 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 49%
Economically active women/ total women population: 53%
Unemployment rate(2004): 5.8
Female unemployment rate(2004): 3.5
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.2
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003):31%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 29%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 57%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 81%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Population (2005): 3.9 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2.040
Total labour force(2004): 2 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 38,2%
Economically active women/ total women population: 52%
Unemployment rate(2004): 30%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.4%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 17%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 48%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Bulgaria
Population (2005): 7.8 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $2,750
Total labour force(2004): 3 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 46%
Economically active women/ total women population: 44%
Unemployment rate(2004): 13.7
Female unemployment rate(2004): 13.2
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 1.7
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 30%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 26%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 54%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 68%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Croatia
Population (2004): 4.4 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 6,820
Total labour force(2004): 2 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 38.2%
Economically active women/ total women population: 45%
Unemployment rate(2004): 14.3%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 15.7%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.4
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 28%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 18%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 52%
Births per women (2004):1.4

Czech Republic
Population (2004): 10.2 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 9.130
Total labour force(2004): 5 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 45%
Economically active women/ total women population: 51%
Unemployment rate(2004): 8.3
Female unemployment rate(2004): 9.9
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.7
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 26%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 17%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 51%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Estonia
Population (2004:1.3 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 7.080
Total labour force(2004): 1 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 49%
Economically active women/ total women population: 58%
Unemployment rate(2004):10%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 9.9%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.3
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 35%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 19%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 61%
Births per women (2004): 1.4

Greece
Population (2004):11.1 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 16.730
Total labour force(2004): 5 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 41%
Economically active women/ total women population: 38%
Unemployment rate(2004): 10.2%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 15.9%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.6 %
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 26%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 14%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 51%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 82%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Hungary
Population (2004): 10.1 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 8,370
Total labour force(2004): 4 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 45%
Economically active women/ total women population: 47%
Unemployment rate(2004): 6.1 %
Female unemployment rate(2004): 6.1%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.6
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 34%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 10%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 55%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 74%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Latvia
Population (2004): 2.3 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 5,580
Total labour force(2004): 1 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 49%
Economically active women/ total women population: 50%

Unemployment rate(2004): 10.6%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 10.5%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.3%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 40%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 21%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 62%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 82%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Lithuania
Population (2004): 3.4 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 5,740
Total labour force(2004): 2 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 49%
Economically active women/ total women population: 52%

Unemployment rate(2004): 12.4%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 12.2%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.3%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 39%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 21%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 60%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 77%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Macedonia
Population (2004): 2 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2,420
Total labour force(2004): 1 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 39%
Economically active women/ total women population: 43%
Unemployment rate(2004): 36.7%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 36.3%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 1.5%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 27%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 18%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 55%
Births per women (2004): 1.7

Moldova
Population (2004): 4.2 million
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 720
Total labour force(2004): 2 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 48%
Economically active women/ total women population: 54%
Unemployment rate(2004): 7.9%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 6.4%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.9%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 40%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 13%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 57%
Births per women (2004): 1.4

Poland
Population (2004): 38.2 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 6,100
Total labour force(2004): 17 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 46%
Economically active women/ total women population: 48%
Unemployment rate(2004): 19.0%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 19.9%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.7%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 32%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 20%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 58%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Romania
Population (2004): 21.7 million
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2.960
Total labour force(2004): 10 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 46%
Economically active women/ total women population: 56%
Unemployment rate(2004): 7%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 6.4%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 2.2%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 31%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 11%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 54%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Serbia and Montenegro
Population (2004): 8.1 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 2,680
Total labour force(2004): 4 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 42%
Economically active women/ total women population: 51%
Unemployment rate(2004): 15.2%
Female unemployment rate(2004):16.4%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.7
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 26%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 8%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 54%
Births per women (2004): 1.7

Slovakia
Population (2004): 5.4 million
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 6,480
Total labour force(2004): 3 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 45%
Economically active women/ total women population: 53%
Unemployment rate(2004): 18.1%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 19.1%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.3%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 35%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 12%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 52%
Births per women (2004): 1.3

Slovenia
Population (2004): 2 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 14,770
Total labour force(2004): 1 million
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 46%
Economically active women/ total women population: 50%
Unemployment rate(2004): 6.6%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 6.6%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.2%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 33%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 12%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 58%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Turkey
Population (2004): 71.7 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 3,750
Total labour force(2004): 27 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 26%
Economically active women/ total women population: 27%
Unemployment rate(2004): 10.3%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 9.7%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 5.2%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 6%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 4%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 41%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 97%
Births per women (2004): 2.2

Ukraine
Population (2004): 47.5 millions
GNP Per Capital (2004): $ 1,270
Total labour force(2004): 22 millions
Female labour force/ total labour force(2004): 49%
Economically active women/ total women population: 58%
Unemployment rate(2004): 8.6%
Female unemployment rate(2004): 8.3%
Female Illiteracy rate(2001): 0.2%
Women’s share of administrative and managerial workers(2003): 39%
Parliamentary seats(2004): 5%
Women’s share in high education(2001): 53%
Ratio of female wages to male wages: 69%
Births per women (2004): 1.2

Source:
The United Nations’ research, The World’s Women 2005 Progress in Statistics
The World Bank Gender Statistics
International Labour Organization’s web site: www.ilo.org

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We need a Gender Revolution!
Statement of participants at the study session Gender Evolution
04 - 11 December 2005, Budapest, Hungary

Young people from all over Europe gathered to explore the role of gender on different levels of societies in Eastern Europe. We exchanged experiences, compared and analyzed the current situations of the gender issues in different countries. Coming from various cultural backgrounds we learned about our possibilities and came with several solutions which can help in the future. Also contacts were established for the future cooperation in Europe.

The study session was organized by the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe with the support of the Council of Europe. The participants were coming from the following countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Bosnia, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Sweden, Germany, France, Serbia, Ukraine, Finland, Turkey, Belarus, Romania, Latvia and Hungary to gather.

The participants reflected on how gender inequalities affect all spheres of life from family environment to economy and government. This is a very broad problem that requires different interventions at various levels, strategic thinking and measures promoting harmony and understanding within the “revolution”. The study session gave to the participants the opportunity to understand the actual causes and consequences of the gender inequality phenomena and reflect on the possibility that each of them has in contributing to making a change.

The conclusions of the study session were that due to the lack of information and education, the main obstacles of gender equality are existing stereotypes as a result of the discrimination on different levels of the society depending on its culture, religion and history. Men and women are treated differently in family responsibilities, studying and working opportunities as well as on the political level. Both genders are made to play a certain role in the society under the pressure of stereotypes with becoming a victim of violence as being the most extreme result of it.

The creation of a gender initiative is considered to make a positive change in Eastern Europe. It shall be a base for future actions created by the participants such as:

• Creation and development of a Gender Campaign,
• Creation and development of a web-based working group with the aim of the publication of a reader,
• Implementation of several International Activities like Youth Exchanges and Seminars.

We need a Gender Revolution. We are young active citizens and want our societies to treat both genders equally!

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