Update: COVID Infects 25 Years Of Progress After Women’s Rights = Human Rights Speech
FLOTUS Hillary Clinton giving her speech in 1995 on women’s rights as human rights.
In 1995, Madonna, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson topped the pop charts. A new music delivery option called DVD launched. Windows 95 and Ebay were introduced.
And First Lady Hillary of the United States Clinton gave a world-turning speech in Beijing, China.
“If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, it is that human rights are women’s rights. And women’s rights are human rights,” Clinton spoke to a crowd of 1,500 on September 5, 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Program.
“In 1995, @HillaryClinton gave a world-turning speech in Beijing, China: “If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, it is that human rights are women’s rights. And #WomensRightsAreHumanRights.” ”
She continued, “However different we may be, there is far more that unites us than divides us. We share a common future. And we are here to find common ground so that we may help bring new dignity and respect to women and girls all over the world—and in so doing, bring new strength and stability to families as well.”
A quarter of a century later, it could be said that much still divides rather than unites women in the world, though much progress has been made, but so much more is required. And COVID-19 has hindered all progress for women across the globe.
“Though much progress has been made for #womensrights, #COVID19 has hindered all progress for women across the globe. ”
Clinton, former Secretary of State and former Democratic presidential nominee writes recently in The Atlantic, her recollection of the speech: “I spoke about women and girls who were working to advance education, health care, economic independence, legal rights, and political participation. With barely concealed rage, I talked about the use of rape as a tactic of war, and the violence women are subjected to in their own homes. And someday soon, I hope we will elect a woman president of the United States.”
Clinton writes, “That’s a sentence that’s painful to write. But here’s something that gives me hope: 25 years ago, speaking in Beijing as first lady, I thought I had reached the peak of power and influence that would ever be available to me. I was determined to use it to lift up the concerns and rights of women. Yet it turned out my journey was far from over, and I would get the chance to carry those concerns into the highest levels of government and politics. What we think are peaks can turn out to be frustrating plateaus. But they also can be way stations on a higher climb.”
““What we think are peaks can turn out to be frustrating plateaus. But they also can be way stations on a higher climb.”—@HillaryClinton. #womensrights #womeninpolitics”
Recently the same UN organization sponsoring Clinton’s speech released a report stating that due to COVID-19, the poverty rate for women globally originally expected to decrease between 2019 and 2021 is now set to increase 9.1 percent.
“@UNDP released a report stating that due to #COVID19, the #poverty rate for #women globally originally expected to decrease between 2019 and 2021 is now set to increase 9.1 percent.”
The report, From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the wake of COVID-19, also show that the pandemic will push 96 million people into extreme poverty by 2021, 47 million of whom are women and girls. This will increase the total number of women and girls living in extreme poverty to 435 million, with projections showing that this number will not revert to pre-pandemic levels until 2030.
“Women are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis as they are more likely to lose their source of income and less likely to be covered by social protection measures. Investing in reducing gender inequality is not only smart and affordable, but also an urgent choice that governments can make to reverse the impact of the pandemic on poverty reduction,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.
According to the UN, on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration; the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; and the first year of the Decade of Action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COVID-19 threatens all progress.
“The pandemic has exposed the extent of its impact on physical and mental health, education and labor force participation,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. “In short, the pandemic is exposing and exacerbating the considerable hurdles women face in achieving their rights and fulfilling their potential.”
““In short, the pandemic is exposing and exacerbating the considerable hurdles women face in achieving their rights and fulfilling their potential,” says @Antonioguterres. #womensequality #COVID19”
Addressing gender pay gaps, violence against women and girls, affordable childcare and economic support for vulnerable women could decrease the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on women worldwide, the UN reports.
In the wake of this new report on the 25th anniversary of a momentous claim for women’s rights, more new research in this country offers insights into a contemporary picture of how women are faring at work, home and in society.
A new study from author Kathryn Sollmann, “Women in 2020: Choosing to Move Up the Career Ladder—Or Not?” finds some surprising results.
According to the study, women are not sharing their secrets with other women on rising to the top. “Only 57% of those surveyed describe women in power as helpful, and 42% describe them as compassionate. 64% resent that women in power aren’t doing what would really help other women rise,” SmartBriefs reports.
“The study also shows that 20% of women surveyed say their companies offer leadership training resources focused specifically on easing the work-plus-life struggle.” Additionally, women say they do not feel encouraged to network and mentor other women. “Only 15% of those surveyed have an internal women’s networking group, and only 6% have a parenting group,” SmartBriefs reports,
While the report says many women are not seeking promotions, the challenges of COVID-19, childcare and other duties are hinderances. More than 67% are caring for children, and 71 % caring for aging parents/in-laws. Still, 75% say they are very committed to their careers, the report shows.
A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce special report on women-owned small businesses during COVID-19 shows “women-owned small businesses have been more heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic than male-owned small businesses, and they are less likely to anticipate a strong recovery in the year ahead. Additionally, women-owned small businesses have less optimistic revenue, investment and hiring plans compared to male-owned small businesses.”
“A new @USChamber special report shows that #womenowned #smallbusinesses have been harder hit from #COVID19 than those owned by men. ”
According to the report, “Before the coronavirus pandemic, 67% of male-owned businesses ranked the overall health of their business as “good,” while 60% women-owned businesses said the same. But by July 2020, 62% of male-owned small businesses said their businesses was ‘good,’ but just 47% of female-owned businesses ranked the overall health of their business as ‘good.’”
Male-owned small businesses reporting an increase in staffing from 17% in the first quarter of 2020 to 25% in July, while female-owned small businesses reporting increases in staff fell from 18% in the first quarter to 15% in July.
More than half, or 57% of male-owned small businesses said they expected next year’s revenue to increase in July, while only 49% of women-owned small businesses said the same in July, falling from 63 percent in the first quarter.
Thanks to COVID-19, how do business owners view their company’s health? Sixty-two percent of male-owned small businesses characterize their business health as good. In contrast, female-owned businesses saying their businesses are in good health dropped 13 points over the same period, from 60% to 47%.
The pandemic has squeezed so many women across the globe in their careers and their lives, but also has greatly affected women with young children who work in scientific labs across the world.
“The pandemic has squeezed so many women across the globe in their careers and their lives, but also has greatly affected women with young children who work in scientific labs across the world. #workingwomen #womensequality”
According to an extensive new study from Harvard Business School professors Kyle R. Myers, Karim R. Lakhani, and eight colleagues from institutions including Yale and Northwestern, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior in July, female scientists suffer discrimination bias..
The researchers “queried nearly half a million scientists across some 20 categories for their work in mid-April, roughly one month into widespread shutdowns tied to the pandemic in the United States. They drew more than 5,700 responses from faculty, principal investigators, post-doctoral researchers and others, or about 1.6 percent of the original inquiry mailing. They concentrated on scientists in Europe and the United States.”
The study shows, “There’s already a ‘well-documented, persistent gender gap in science,’ the researchers write in their paper, Unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists. That gap is becoming increasingly apparent across professions worldwide, for all kinds of working women as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the United States and around the world.” The researchers add, “It really is revealing, the extent of the infrastructure needed to support women with children.”
Another new report from LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co., shows that Black women in this country have been hardest hit in their careers by the pandemic. Bloomberg reports, “In America, Black women have it the hardest, and it will be even more difficult for them to overcome systemic barriers to advancement in a pandemic. Black women are much less likely to be promoted to senior leadership roles and have interaction with senior managers than their White counterparts,” Bloomberg reports.
“Another new report from @LeanInOrg and @McKinsey shows that #Blackwomen in this country have been hardest hit in their careers by the pandemic. #COVID19 ”
“The report found that 58 Black women are promoted for every 100 men and only 64 Black women are hired into management roles for every 100 men hired for those positions. Additionally, about 60% of Black women have never had an informal interaction with senior leaders.”
While it became a popular phrase in 1995 that women’s rights are human rights, and much progress has been made for women across the globe in many arenas, the reality is that the global pandemic has eroded much progress, with BIPOC women, women in scientific fields and women with young children feeling ill effects.
“While it became a popular phrase in 1995 that #WomensRightsAreHumanRights, and much progress has been made for women, the reality is that the global #pandemic has eroded much progress. #equality”
