The government announced the release last Friday, 18 December, of the draft Prevention of Gender Discrimination Bill (2010) for public consultation.

The release coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). On 18 December 1979, the UN General Assembly adopted CEDAW, the international human rights treaty which is exclusively devoted to gender equality.

CEDAW is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Comprising a preamble and 30 articles, it defines discrimination against women and establishes an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

Deputy Premier and Gender Affairs Minister, Hon. Juliana O’ Connor-Connolly stated that the passage of local legislation will allow the extension of CEDAW to the Cayman Islands through the United Kingdom.

• “Women’s rights have progressed considerably during the past three decades, but there are still major obstacles that prevent gender equality from being achieved.
• “Given the far-reaching effects that this important piece of legislation will have on employees, employers and other bodies, I encourage the public to review the draft Bill and provide their comments to the Ministry,” Mrs O’Connor-Connolly said.

Senior Policy Advisor for Gender Affairs Tammy Ebanks-Bishop commented, “Acceptance of this Bill will be a positive step towards ensuring the extension of CEDAW to the Cayman Islands; that will be yet another gain for women’s and girls’ rights on a practical, everyday level.”

She noted that despite recent local advances, much remains to be done before reaching the point where principles of gender equality become national standards.

• “Positive steps to date are the new Constitution Order with its Bill of Rights and the use of gender-inclusive language; the creation of the draft Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill (2009) and the Prevention of Gender Discrimination Bill (2010).

• “However, serious human rights violations against women still occur daily, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment and workplace discrimination due to maternity status or unequal pay for the same work as males,” Ms Ebanks- Bishop said.

She further pointed out that social progress in gender equality is not automatic. “It requires considerable work, awareness and commitment in order to make the necessary societal changes that lead to increased gender equity. This CEDAW anniversary provides an international platform for increasing awareness,” she said.

Ms Ebanks-Bishop explained that, since 186 countries have ratified CEDAW, the anniversary presents an opportunity for the global community to celebrate its near-universal ratification. She added that many countries have scheduled a variety of events to acknowledge this essential tool for achieving women’s human rights.

• “In Argentina, a workshop is being held on CEDAW’s application to the Latin America and Caribbean region. Cameroon is organizing a vast media campaign to sensitize and inform the public on CEDAW.
• “Also, in Japan, the Minister for Gender Equality will host a gathering of female governors and mayors in order to publicize the importance of female participation in national decision-making,” Ms Ebanks- Bishop said.

For more information or to provide feedback on the draft Prevention of Gender Discrimination Bill, visit the government website. The public has until 31 January 2010 to submit their comments.

More on CEDAW

• Over 90 percent of the 190 United Nations members are party to CEDAW. The cornerstone of CEDAW is the principle of equality between men and women and the prohibition of discrimination against the rights of men and women.
• CEDAW is often described as an international bill of rights for women. It is simply a human rights instrument that provides a framework to identify what constitutes discrimination against women, and which sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
• The Convention defines discrimination against women as “…any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”
• Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They also commit to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

By accepting the Convention, they commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

• Incorporating the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolishing all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
• Establishing tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
• Ensuring elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

From Looking for a Better World: One of my major interests is in the equality of women in all societies. Gender bias is as hurtful and destructive as any other bias. Though I am not particularly liberal, I have for my lifetime been opposed to the macho philosophy, the Islamic plunder of womanhood, the gender distinctions in the professions and the entire “woman driver” and, yes, even “blonde joke” phenomena.

Women and men are not created equal. They each have their God given strengths, focused on their responsibilities for procreation and family viability. Those differences are not easily dismissed … however those differences do not condone gender discrimination in society and certainly not in the workplace. In fact, because of the glass ceiling and gender discrimination, professional women need to be better than their male counterparts to succeed! That makes them better choices … and, in fact, I have made those choices! My physician, ophthalmologist, podiatrist and a recent surgeon are all female. Obviously, female clergy are welcome in my world.

I attended a lecture given by an oil minister from an Islamic state. He was asked when women would gain equality … and he jokingly replied “When the sands of the Sahara turn to Jello.” I cannot accept the gender inequality issue and I certainly am opposed to the current Islamic extremism.

Plunder and disrespect of women among the Muslim extremists are but a cursor of their disregard for life. It is just a clue, albeit a significant one, towards the larger issues of suicide bombings and indiscriminate slaughter. If the gender issue was gentler, their other more acceptable behaviors could follow.

Dr. Malkin holds a B.Sc. in Business and a Masters and Ph.D. in Religion. He has made hundreds of visits to schools with a moving and effective motivational presentation, urging teens to do their personal best. His mentoring programs have empowered many, many children. His quest for years has been to teach the power of Right Action, working towards the goal of a better world.

Everyone knows and talks about equality and unbiasness between Man and Woman.There are protests, strikes, movements for getting “Gender Equality”. But the question arises, why the term “Gender Equality” has been coined? Is there really any differences? Whether Gender biasness is man made or natural? There are certain natural factors, which creates a comparision as well as disparity between man and woman. Before discussing more, we should divide those areas into certain categories

1. Gender difference due to Physical traits
2. Health based biasness
3. Sex difference due to Psychology

The reasons of the gender differences may be many. But the theory behind this is always a controversial one. Some traits may be innate (like reproductive system) while some may be environmental/social ( like names given or different upbringing given at home). Some feminists see gender differences as caused by patriarchy or discrimination, although difference feminism argues for an acceptance of natural differences between men and women. So,here we will discuss about some basics to find out the possibility.

1. Gender difference due to Physical traits

• An average man is taller than an average woman.
• Men usually have more body hair than women.
• On average, men are stronger than women, particularly in the upper body.
• On average, girls begin puberty approximately two years before boys.
• Female fertility declines after age 35 and ends with the menopause. Men are capable of fathering children into old age.
• Men’s skin is thicker (more collagen) and oilier (more sebum) than women’s skin.
• Women generally have a smaller waist-to-hip ratio and a greater body fat percentage than men.
• Men and women have different levels of certain hormones. Men have a higher concentration of androgens while women have a higher concentration of estrogens

These are some differences and many are still there to prove the physial difference.

2. Health based biasness

Overall rates of mental illness are similar for men and women. There is no significant gender difference in rates of schizophrenia and bipolar depression. Women are more likely to suffer from unipolar depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Men are more likely to suffer from alcoholism and antisocial personality.Worldwide, more men than women are infected with HIV. The exception is sub-Saharan Africa, where more women than men are infected. Adult males are more likely to be diagnosed with tuberculosis. The difference is also verymuch visible here.

3. Sex difference due to Psychology

There are different parts like communication, thinking, problem solving, analyzing things or synthesizing, happiness or sorrow, creativity or intelligence in Psychology ,where there is a difference persists.
To sum up we can say that though the differences in gender exists which may be due to biological or social reasons but that should not be exploited in a negative way. Discrimination on the ground of gender should always be avoided.There should be a critical assessment when anti-female bias is in action. Man and Women are beautiful creations of god. Both of them are incomplete without each other. May be they are here to perform different kinds of duties, gender equality by heart, by mind and by soul should be appreciated.

Sex roles are changing rapidy in the twenty-first century. Transgendered, male, female, masculine and feminine-how are they related and who decides who we are? From birth to death, gender maps the highway of our life experience. The pronouncement of gender, based on the superficial examination of genitalia, places us on a blue road or a pink road that lead in
very different directions.

The rituals and customs of these two categories determine our experience. Entitlement and discrimination based on gender while not absolute, directly reflect societal expectations for men and women.

The subject of transgenderism contradicts the long established binary division of the sexes. From the earliest records of divergent cultures, evidence indicates -in the form of mythology and written records- that gender, is fluid rather than fixed.

Human expression naturally resists the imposition of artificial boundaries. In the last half of the twentieth century, the assault on fixed gender categories gained substantial momentum, and encountered serious opposition. The deconstruction of gender stereotypes, especially over the last fifty years, has liberated or threatened large groups of people.

The majority of people on the planet think of themselves as men or women. Yet a simple experiment will demonstrate the folly of our adherence to these categories: conduct an informal poll with a variety of people you know. Ask them how they define man or woman, then ask them how they have arrived at their conclusion.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines man and woman as follows:

man (m²n) n., pl. men (mµn). 1. An adult male human being. 2. A human being regardless of sex or age; a person. 3. A human being or an adult male human being belonging to a specific occupation, group, nationality, or other category. Often used in combination.

wom·an (w‹m“…n) n., pl. wom·en (w¹m“¹n). 1. An adult female human being. 2. Women considered as a group; womankind. 3. An adult female human being belonging to a specified occupation, group, nationality, or other category. Often used in combination. 4. Feminine quality or aspect; womanliness. 5. A female servant or subordinate.

While the definitions of woman and man seemed related to external markers or grouped characteristics, the definitions of male and female are more descriptive of biological processes:

male (m³l) adj. Abbr. m., M. 1.a. Of, relating to, or designating the sex that has organs to produce spermatozoa for fertilizing ova. b. Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex; masculine. c. Consisting of members of this sex. 2. Virile; manly.

fe·male (f¶“m³l”) adj. Abbr. fem., f., F 1.a. Of, relating to, or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young. b. Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex; feminine. c. Consisting of members of this sex.

Here we see the best reason for society’s confusion regarding sex and gender. According to the dictionary, the difference between the sexes is simple: if you are a male, then you are not a female and if you are a female, you are not a male.

The definitions for sex and gender are, if anything, more perplexing:

sex (sµks) n. 1.a. The property or quality by which organisms are classified as female or male on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions. b. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, of this classification. 2. Females or males considered as a group. 3. The condition or character of being female or male; the physiological, functional, and psychological differences that distinguish the female and the male

gen·der (jµn“d…r) n. Abbr. g., gen. 1. Grammar. a. A grammatical category used in the analysis of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and, in some languages, verbs that may be arbitrary or based on characteristics such as sex or animas and that determines agreement with or selection of modifiers, referents, or grammatical forms.

This definition of gender clearly indicates the relativity of gendered expression. Confining our discussion to the terms male and female merely confuses the issue. Biological sex results from a complex interplay of DNA, chromosomes, hormones and genitalia that modern technology cannot yet analyze. In other words, we cannot determine anatomical sex based on visual inspection: we cannot “see” DNA or chromosomes.

The spectre of a doctor or scientist trifling with our genetic composition, including sex markers, is the stuff of the prophetic novel A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. However, even as sex determinants morph into fodder for scientific engineering, gender expression remains beyond the realm of manipulation.

Many people know someone–or knows someone who knows someone– who self-identifies as “transsexual,” “transgendered,” “transvestite,” “drag,” “dyke,” “butch,” “fem” or some combination of these expressions. Despite this twenty first century familiarity, friends and allies of transgender people rarely insist on specific definitions from them.

Transgenderism, the broad area of gendered expression, defies definition. At its essence, the term transgendered is synonymous with subjectivity, in both expression and perception. For example, a male may feel an overpowering identification with the female sex. This person may know that their physical being is completely at odds with their internal essence, while they persistently experience themselves as female. However, based predominately on physical markers, society categorizes this person as male without regard to his/her inner identity.

To help us understand the challenge of defining gendered expression, draw a line with a pole at each end. Mark one pole male and the other pole female to represent absolute masculinity or maleness and absolute femininity, or femaleness. Now put a big red x over both poles, for no absolute model of perfect femaleness or maleness exists. Everyone exists somewhere in the vast grayness between the two absolutes.