Maria Correia - Ecuador gender review: issues and recommendations

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Issues and Recommendations

A WORLD BANK COUNTRY STUDY

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Copyright 2000
The International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development/THE WORLD BANK
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Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing June 2000

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ISBN: 0-8213-4778-0
ISSN: 0253-2123

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This paper presents findings of a review of gender trends and issues in Ecuador in demographics, health, violence, education, labor markets and social protection. It also briefly describes the current macroeconomic context and poverty situation as well as recent gender-related institutional and legal advances and includes a more comprehensive section on gender issues in rural development.

The report finds that Ecuador has witnessed important advances in reducing gender disparities and addressing gender-related development issues. Fertility has decreased, education inequalities have diminished, disparities in labor force participation have been reduced and advances have been made in the area of domestic violence. But issues related to gender remain. Reproductive health care remains a problem for women. As for men, accidents and violence are by far the most serious health risks among adolescent males and alcoholism and substance abuse are a serious social concern. In education, as a result of gender socialization, girls continue to follow different academic paths than boys, which affects their opportunities in the job market, their earning potential and over time, their well being. For boys, poverty has led them to enter the labor market at an early age thereby affecting their education prospects and human capital acquisition.

As a long term strategy, gender policies and programs in Ecuador should address socialization processes that reinforce traditional gender roles. Short term measures, however, need to focus on the acute and immediate needs of the population. And this short term and long term gender work should also not be limited to programs targeting girls and women only but rather should also focus on boys and men. The report identifies six priority action areas. First, both female and male gender issues need to be considered when designing and implementing social safety nets and emergency assistance programs. Second, indigenous peoples initiatives should be strengthened so that they address gender differences and disparities. Third, issues such as maternal mortality, AIDS and STDs, teenage pregnancy, and family planning need to be addressed in an integrated fashion under the rubric of reproductive and sexual health. Fourth, initiatives need to be developed to address at-risk youth. Fifth, the institutional framework on gender at the national level needs to be defined and strengthened. And sixth, an evaluation of ongoing work on gender should be carried out to examine lessons from past gender interventions.