UN: Progress for Women Is Slow, Uneven, at Risk of Setbacks

 

The world's women are making gains in several areas, but the United Nations says progress has been slow and uneven¹. They say some forward moves could even be at risk of setback².

Sunday is International Women's Day. In a new report, the U.N. says men still hold a large majority of elected positions, make more money and have access to better jobs and education.

In addition, women in many parts of the world are still facing severe difficulties including child marriage, illiteracy³, partner violence and a lack of access to family planning. Rural and native women face these problems in addition to greater discrimination and deeper poverty.

Seize the chance

"We see still, even within these conditions, the possibility to change and the possibility to move forward," U.N. Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said at the launch of the report Thursday.

Some countries already have seized that chance.

The report found that Latin America is one of the few places where the number of women in the labor⁴ force has increased in the past 20 years.

Countries like Chile and Uruguay have increased childcare coverage⁵, the report noted⁶. Researcher Silke Staab of U.N. Women said that those countries "recognized that women's economic empowerment will not become a reality if families are lacking that kind of support."

Much of sub-Saharan Africa struggles to provide access to family planning.

But two countries — Ethiopia and Rwanda — have made it a top goal. In the last 20 years, access to birth control methods has grown by 40 percent.

Investment in public works, and workers

The U.N. says progress has happened in places where governments have invested in health systems, trained workers and improved both the quality of and access to health services.

The UN reports progress in keeping more girls in school and the passage of laws to better protect women. It also reports that the number of women who die during pregnancy⁷ or childbirth has dropped by half.

But there is still much more to do, the UN adds.

Staab said, "What is needed now is a concerted drive to scale up, expand and deepen policies and programs that can move the needle on women's rights to the benefit of all."

Words in This Story

access -n. the right or ability to approach, enter, or use

illiteracy -n. the state of not knowing how to read or write

concerted -n. done in a planned and deliberate way usually by several or many people

scale up -phrasal verb to increase in size

move the needle -expression to make progress

benefit -v. to be useful or helpful to (someone or something)

1 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

2 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

3 illiteracy   

n.文盲

参考例句：

• It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining.从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转，这是令人鼓舞的。
• We must do away with illiteracy.我们必须扫除文盲。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。