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UN: Progress for Women Is Slow, Uneven, at Risk of Reversals

Margaret Besheer

   UNITED NATIONS - Women are making gains globally in several areas, but
   25 years after demanding action at a landmark conference in Beijing,
   the United Nations says progress has been slow and uneven and could
   even be reversed.

   In a report released ahead of International Women's Day, which is
   Sunday, the U.N. says men still overwhelmingly hold elected positions,
   make more money and have access to better jobs and education.

   In addition, women in many parts of the world are still trying to
   overcome societal obstacles, including child marriage, illiteracy,
   domestic violence and lack of access to family planning. Rural and
   indigenous women face even more hurdles, in addition to discrimination
   and deeper poverty.

   Seize the chances

   "We see still, even within these conditions, the possibility to change
   and the possibility to move forward," U.N. Women Executive Director
   Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said at the launch of the report Thursday. "We
   want to seize those opportunities."

   Some countries already have.

   The report found that Latin America is one of the few regions where
   women's participation in the labor force has increased over the past 20
   years.

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