This policy brief is a summarized version of the thematic report of the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, on the links and the impact of economic reforms and austerity measures on women’s human rights.
The 2007-2008 fnancial crisis has had a particularly devastating and lasting impact on women and girls. In most cases, government austerity measures implemented in the aftermath of the crisis made existing problems much worse, cutting desperately needed services, while increasing the need for unpaid or under-compensated labor, which mostly falls on them.
The current global economic system is sustained by gender inequality and discrimination against women, due in part to gender stereotypes and to gaps in laws and policies. In particular, mainstream economic thinking often does not recognize the economic value of unpaid domestic and care work, thereby privileging male-biased macroeconomic policies that are detrimental to women and exacerbate structural inequalities. In such scenarios, women are at increased risk of gender-based violence, which further undermines the realization of their human rights.
Governments have a responsibility to ensure that austerity measures do not lead to violations of women’s human rights. By undertaking gender-responsive human rights impact assessments of economic reforms before, during and after implementation, governments can both prevent and begin to reverse the process of further marginalizing and impoverishing women and girls.
The impact of economic reforms and austerity measures on women’s human rights.pdf
