Blog by Marie-Christine Griers, SI UN Representative, Paris

On 11 January, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) held the first edition in its webinar series, ‘Regional Expert Consultations against Gender Stereotypes’. Targeted at decision-makers, academic and scientific communities, NGOs and civil society, the discussion in this first webinar covered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender stereotypes, with a focus on North America.

The panel on the webinar composed of high-level academic specialists, and North American lawyers, as well as a representative of the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) White Ribbon and an official from the American worker’s union AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations).

Presenter of the series, Gabriela Ramos, Deputy Director General of UNESCO for Human and Social Sciences, discussed the major damage caused worldwide by the COVID-19 crisis, including the burden on women (medical care, service professions, confined family life), increased job losses, the widening gender pay gap, and the escalation of domestic and general violence.

UNESCO, as part of its Priority Gender Equality campaign, is creating a network to combat inequalities and gender stereotypes at work, that brings together leaders of enterprises who model best practices.

For North America, USA and Canada, the audience were alerted to the challenges facing many communities; when taking an intersectional approach, it is clear to see that those who belong to minority groups can face multiple discriminations, including the risk of being exposed to violence at work.

Catherine Feingold (AFL-CIO) called for the reform of labour laws in the US, in particular to improving the protection of domestic and rural workers. American unions are expected to propose legislation that would rebalance powers in favour of workers by giving them the ability to report any safety, health or harassment issues.

Mishuana Goeman of UCLA, a specialist in Native American and Indian studies, revealed that Native women and girls, particularly in towns near reserves and migrant camps, are severely impacted by structural and systemic inequalities, which have been worsened by COVID-19.

Over the course of the presentations, the speakers unanimously affirmed the direct relationship between the nation’s systemic and structural inequalities with the history of the US. The persistence of violent “white supremacy”, as Humberto Carolo of White Ribbon put it, is inseparable from the “patriarchal stereotype”. When considering a way forward towards a more equal and just society, Carolo emphasised the importance of the role of men and boys in being potential allies and agents of change.

American law, and its enforcement, is not free from the grip from history. Julie Goldscheid, a Professor at CUNY Law School, denounced the limits and harmful effects of heavy penalisation and systematic detentions that do not solve the problem of violence and perpetuate certain stereotypes. She spoke of “state violence” to reform.

In conclusion, a transdisciplinary approach is needed to effectively address inequality in North America. In approving UNESCO’s programme against stereotypes, this transdisciplinary approach led stakeholders to cite the following priorities:

• Improve the quality of education, in particular by changing the historical discourse given to children, and also by eliminating violence, in particular from the boarding school system imposed on Native communities;
• Build a new male model in the minds of men and young people, in cooperation with women’s associations, changing attitudes on gender;
• Improve laws and practices of justice, adding a restorative victim tracking system to combat the aggressor-victim cycle;
• To define policies, integrating indigenous experts and representatives of the most vulnerable groups, and not to treat them only as victims;
• Improve the collection of data on gender stereotyping without amalgamating all categories of female populations;
• Set goals, develop accountability of individuals, the community, and the State.

 

Check HERE for updates on the next UNESCO webinar in the ‘Regional Expert Consultations Against Gender Stereotypes’ series.