Every day, in every country in the world, women are confronted by discrimination and inequality. They face violence, abuse and unequal treatment at home, at work and in their wider communities—and are denied opportunities to learn, to earn and to lead.
Women form the majority of those living in poverty. They have fewer resources, less power and less influence compared to men, and can experience further inequality because of their class, ethnicity and age, as well as religious and other fundamentalism.
Gender inequality is a key driver of poverty. And a fundamental denial of women’s rights.
Achieving gender justice to tackle poverty
Oxfam understands gender justice as the full equality and equity between women and men in all spheres of life, resulting in women jointly, and on an equal basis with men, defining and shaping the policies, structures and decisions that affect their lives and society as a whole.
Further improvements in legislation and policy are necessary but not sufficient. We believe that transforming gender and power relations, and the structures, norms and values that underpin them, is critical to ending poverty and challenging inequality.
We believe that women taking control and taking collective action are the most important drivers of sustained improvements in women’s rights, and are a powerful force to end poverty not only for women and girls, but for others too.
Putting women’s rights at the heart of all we do
Whether we are responding to an emergency, working on long terms projects with communities, or campaigning for lasting change, we tackle the inequality and deep-rooted discrimination that makes and keeps women poor. We work closely with women’s rights organizations as partners and allies in order to address gender inequalities effectively.
Supporting women’s access to resources
We support women in their fight to have equal opportunities to secure jobs and fair pay as men, and have an equal chance to work their way out of poverty.
Raising women’s voices
We support women in their efforts to take part in decision-making at all levels and promote leadership and participation of women.
Ending violence against women and girls
We work with partners in over 40 countries to stop violence against women by changing laws and challenging culturally accepted practices that treat women as second-class citizens.
Striving for gender equality in emergency response
Throughout all our humanitarian response work, we tailor our activities towards meeting the different needs of women and men in a way that promotes equality between them.
We’ve seen the difference that equal job opportunities, equal healthcare and education, equal decision-making power and freedom from violence can make. We’ve seen the difference when women and girls are able to make their own choices and exercise their collective voice, and when institutions address their needs and interests.
Achieving gender justice is not only a matter of basic rights; it’s also a key means of achieving fairer societies and overcoming poverty. We all have an equal part to play in making it happen.
