Chapter 2 How are women’s organizations and movements growing worldwide? Why should we care? In 2005, World Vision International, the world’s largest Christian international development organization, and one with no mandate to support emergency contraception and abortion, had an income of almost USD 2 billion. In that same year, 729 of the leading women’s rights organizations worldwide had a collective income of a paltry USD 76 million, not even 4 percent of World Vision’s budget.
Can we imagine a day when strong, feminist and well-resourced women’s rights organizations are transforming communities and driving political, social and economic change? Certainly many of us can, yet the world around us does not see women’s rights work as central to development, the environment, conflict resolution or ending HIV and AIDS, but simply as just one other consideration. Patriarchal attitudes and systems continue to reinforce both women and children as victims of global problems, individuals that need “saving” or protecting. “Gender” is just an abstract concept to be integrated into existing systems with no fundamental shifts in power relations, approaches or resources. Yet women’s rights organizations play an indispensable role in their communities, nations, and regions as the agents of change. Women’s movements have arguably been leading the most successful social revolution the world
Patriarchal attitudes reinforce women and children as victims of global problems, individuals that need “saving” or protecting
has ever seen. Gender inequality, on the other hand, is still the most pervasive, systemic and universal form of discrimination on the planet. There is much work to be done. And so, this report argues, women’s movements need to be funded.
Why are women’s organizations and movements so important? We are not advocating for enhanced support for women’s organizing simply to continue a historical tradition. We are advocating for it because we see it as essential to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment – which were agreed to in the Millennium Development Goals – as well as promoting and protecting women’s rights. Without women’s organizing, we run the risk of sliding back on implementation of existing commitments to women’s rights and gender equality,
How are women’s organizations and movements growing worldwide? Why should we care?
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