Cristina...and the rest

Interesting article on the Guardian Global Health blog which uses the sad state of women's rights in Argentina to make the case for a strong UN women's agency.

Of the former, I can testify with limited experience. Argentina really is a strange place socially and politically: extremely liberal, cosmopolitan and modern in some ways (for example, gay marriage has just been legalised), it is still woefully backward in terms of female equality. Call it 'macho culture' if you will, but don't shrug your shoulders and grin in a 'all-the-Latinos-are-at-it' way - this is deeply-rooted sexism with profoundly harmful consequences, as the Human Rights Watch report quoted in the above article makes clear. Such a situation is not inevitable and the problem can be tackled, but it will take considerable time, effort and resources, none of which are being deployed effectively at the moment.

[I did however go to a rather good exhibition about women in Argentina 1810-2010 while in Buenos Aires. Of course things of this nature get the green light and plenty of publicity partly because of the political interest involved, the President being a woman n'all... at every rundown of brilliant women through the ages in Argentina (there's also a photographic display on the tour route in the Casa Rosada presidential palace) the conclusion, the pinnacle, is of course Cristina. Many Evita-Cristina comparisons shoe-horned in there too, naturally.]

As for the UN women's agency, I'm glad some effort is being made to streamline the UN's women's bodies (currently we have: the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues AND the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women) but I'm afraid I too am pessimistic about whether the political will exists to make the new agency sufficiently powerful or dynamic to make a real impact. I hope I'm wrong.


Update 24 September: 'Super-agency' UN Women is now semi-operational. Encouraging signs: Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile (so a significant political figure with real gravitas and good contacts), has been appointed as its Head; the body has starting budget of US$500 million, more than twice the current combined resources of the 4 agencies it is replacing.