New World Countries
Greenland
Canada
United States
Mexico
Guatemala
Belize
Honduras
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Cuba
Jamaica
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Bahamas
Australia
General Treatment of Women in the New World
Women of the New World are generally treated as second class citizens, though it may only be by a small bit. A good part of New World countries are struck by poverty, deal with malnutrition and have poor health care. The women of these countries tend to get less food then men, though they are responsible for cooking the food. They have less access to education then men. Even in the richer countries, like the U.S. and Canada, women are subject to unfair judgements in courts, have a harder time getting into politics and are still expected to do the household chores and cook. We are still pretty darn lucky.
The biggest problems in the New World in regards to women are rape and prostitution. Women are raped in the streets, and picked up as prostitutes to get some money for their families. In some countries it is legal for women over 18 to be prostitutes.
We have come a long way since the days of Samuel de Champlain, but we still have some grueling work ahead of us to be equal to the men of this world.
For an in-depth analysis of each country's women's rights, keep reading, or find the heading that matches the country you are searching for...
Greenland
Women in the most northern parts of the New World care more about securing the rights of the Inuit people than the rights of women. They have become frustrated and disappointed, however, having found themselves neglected by male politicians. It is extremely difficult for women to be nominated and elected to political office. This is thought to be because of the male attitude towards women’s participation in politics. The same thing may occur in Canada once the go ahead has been given for them to form their own government.
Because of their emphasis on raising the awareness for ethnic identity, there is little room to promote the rights of women. However, now that they have their own nation forum, women are more prepared to fight for their rights.
The role of women in the north is changing drastically. It is getting more difficult for them, as the necessity for women to work outside the home becomes greater and the responsibility to hold the family together still stands. There are also the ever increasing social problems.
Women are taking more control over their lives in the northern regions, deciding when to marry, start a family, get an education. They are even able to choose their own career path to suit their interests.
There are a surprising amount of women who own small businesses in the north. In Yellowknife, it is estimated that about one third of small businesses are owned by women. More and more women are taking initiative in the big leagues of business. Two years ago, only 8% of management positions in the Government were held by women. Today, 10% are held by women. Only a 2% jump, but a jump nonetheless.
There is still room to improve, but women in the north are gaining ground. It will be a challenge, but women in the north are well on their way to being equal to men.
Canada
On the outside, women in Canada seem to be treated equally to men. It is just as easy for women to get into politics as men. They can chose their own career path. Nobody tells them what to do.
However, there are still many problems regarding women in Canada. For instance, women in British Colombia were subject to discriminatory laws. There were funding cuts to legal aid and welfare and narrowed eligibility for welfare. The government eliminated the freestanding Ministry for Women’s Equality. There were also cuts in support programs for victims of domestic violence and proposed changes regarding the prosecution of domestic violence. BC is the only province targeted by the UN in this regard, however, the Committee stated that Canada overall is not living up to it’s obligations towards women.
Women are vulnerable to poverty and economic inequality in Canada. In a country as wealthy as Canada, poverty rates of 54% for single mothers, 43% for aboriginal women, 37% for women of colour, and 48% for women who are recent immigrants are unacceptable. Especially since the government has been cutting social programs. These cuts eliminate women’s good jobs, increase women’s burden of unpaid work and make women lease able to leave abusive relationships.
As you can see, Canada, while better than many countries, still has a long way to go. There is an ongoing problem of prostitution. Women are discriminated at work. And the government just doesn’t seem to care. And just think, most of us don’t even realize what’s going on.
United States
American women have endured much throughout history. Women were long considered the weaker sex. It was thought that women were squeamish and could not endure hard labour. (Studies have actually shown that women have a greater tolerance for pain, they live longer, and are more resistant to diseases.) Women were thought to belong in the home. They did not get much education. They were virtually the property of their husbands in the early history of the U.S.
Slowly, this began to change as women gained rights. Women can now work outside the home, sue their husbands, and get a good education, among other things. There are still many problems, however.
Women are still under represented in politics. Women in Iran’s government have better representation than in the U.S. Senate!
There is also the problem of prostitution. Women and girls have sex with men to get money. It’s wrong and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.
American women just don’t seem to care. 80% of fourth grade girls diet and women make up the majority of those in poverty. And they-re criticizing the women’s rights in the Middle East?
America has a long way to go to reach equality. A LONG way to go.
Mexico
Mexican women are oppressed because of pregnancy! On the Mexican/U.S. border, in the maquiladoras, women are forced to undergo pregnancy testing as a condition of employment. They are also forced to take urine tests, and answer invasive questions on applications and in interviews on their pregnancy status, sexual activities, use of birth control, and menstrual cycles! If they are pregnant, they are not hired. If they become pregnant after they are hired, they are often forced to resign. Otherwise, they are subject to abusive and discriminatory treatment.
This treatment violates both U.S. and Mexican laws. Company officials are aware of it, and do not put a stop to it. The Mexican government has failed to investigate, remedy, or denounce this sex discrimination.
This is very sad, considering at least half of the workers in the maquiladoras are women. They are paid more than in any other employment sector in Northern Mexico.
It also infringes on women’s rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children. Government employees have even defended the practice as reasonable or legitimate!
Mexican laws relating to women have not been updated in 20 to 25 years. In Mexico’s Constitution, women and men are granted equality and families are under legal protection. However, in reality, federal and state laws deny this equality and protection. There is a difference in the treatment of men and women who are victims of violence and sex crimes, differences in laws on the family, education and laws concerning family violence.
This is all very sad. Hundreds of women have been murdered, sexually assaulted, and abducted. Many remain missing. We need to stop this horrible practice. People’s lives are on the line…
Guatemala
Tens of thousands of Guatemalan women and girls face sexual discrimination in the maquila sector. This discrimination is sponsored or tolerated by the government! This government denies domestic workers basic labor rights, including otherwise recognized eight-hour work days and minimum wage. The women workers also face much sexual harassment, and are forced to declare if they are pregnant, and often denied full maternity benefits.
Women in Guatemala’s largest female dominated labor sectors are subject to persistent sexual harassment and abuse. The biggest sectors are export processing and private households, which employ tens of thousands of women sewing clothes for sale on the U.S. and working as live-in domestic workers.
Women in Guatemala get a pretty raw deal. They are denied health care by their employers. They could live a much better life.
Women rights workers need to be protected. One women, university lecturer Mayra Angelina Gutiérrez Hernández has not been seen since 7 April 2000. This treatment is sad, though I must say it could be worse. They are lucky with what they have…even if it isn’t much.
Belize
Women’s value in Belize comes mainly from their roles as wives and mothers. Their assigned role is “reproduction and social reproduction” and are judged on how they fulfill these roles. A pattern of inequality is found throughout the country. Yet the government has taken few concrete steps towards the advancement of women and the demolition of gender stereotypes. For example, any classes sponsored for women teach them ‘female tasks’ such as cooking, sewing and cleaning.
As well, mass labor migration and increased unemployment rate shave lead to an expansion of prostitution in Belize. There is no legislation prohibiting prostitution and the exploitation of prostitutes. One or more dance hall owners have recruited women from other countries by promising them jobs as waitresses, dancers and housekeepers. Once they arrive, the employer takes their passports, forces them to engage in prostitution, and holds their wages. Despite investigations, no arrests have been made.
The government recognizes the need to promote improved health standards, but the incidence of HIV/AIDS continues to increase at an alarming rate. Belize has the second highest HIV/AIDS rate in Central America.
Very few Belizean women are involved in politics. They are not encouraged to do so either.
Teenage pregnancy accounts for a large number of high school dropouts in Belize. Many secondary schools expel pregnant students, and it is not uncommon for them to be prevented from continuing their education. There is no support system for these girls.
Many women do not receive adequate health care, especially in rural areas. More than 40% of women seen at prenatal clinics are anemic.
Abortion is a criminal offence punishable with fourteen years of imprisonment. Illegal abortion is the number one cause of death among women in Belize. High incidences of cervical cancer and infertility is linked to high rates of illegal abortion. In 1988, nearly 70% of all children were born to single mothers, and this trend has been increasing. One in five births is a result of adolescent pregnancy.
Violent crimes against women result in death, mutilations, burnings and beatings. In the Belizean culture, women Domestic violence is one of the biggest problems is one of the most serious problems in Belize. 90% of violent crimes against women are perpetrated by their partner or spouse. are under the protection of men, and are seen as their subordinates. Police are not interested in domestic violence cases and the government does not provide training programs for officers. Women face serious legal obstacles regarding rape. Existing statutes allow for the introduction of women’s past sexual activity of rape defense! This law does not protect women from marital rape.
Honduras
High population growth has affected farmers and increased poverty. With lower salaries and no direct access to land, women experience poverty more acutely, which in turn increases the already high infant mortality rate. Women constitute 60% of the unemployed in Honduras, and they often work in low-pay, low-status, informal occupations, such as domestic help.
There are mixed reactions towards the maquiladoras. People are generally supportive of the industry and thankful for its existence as they provide and income source when no other options exist, especially for women. At the same time, however, the are critical of the abuses that happen within the industry.
Maquiladora workers are generally between the ages of 18 and 24, thought there have been reports of girls as young as 12 or 13 working in the plants.
Honduras has no social security or federal pension program. This means people well inot their eighties must work to support themselves. Because of women’s longer life expectancy, elderly women suffer the consequences of the lack of social security.
Many young women and girls are involved in the prostitution industry in Honduras. Some of them have not even finished the fourth grade. Many of the children involved do not speak out for fear of losing the income necessary to support themselves or their families.
In addition to unemployment and poverty, domestic violence is one of the biggest problems for women in Honduras. the government does not give sufficient financial support and political backing for programs like family counseling and legal assitence to victims of abuse. There is not enough money to train judges and police and sensitize them to dealing with these issues.
Acess to health care is also a problem. If they do not pay an unofficial payment for childbirth services, they do not receive adequate care and the necessary medication. In most isolated rural areas, health care is close to non-existent. They are often forced to travel long ways to hospitals that even then sometimes don't have the right equipment.
Honduras has the HIV/AIDS incidence in Central America. The male-female ratio of 4:1 at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic has shifted and is now approaching parity (38% of women in 1996). Now more women are contracting the disease than men. Of the 6005 cases diagnosed, 1041 have died. The incidence of HIV among pregnant women is 3.6%, and 14% among prostitutes.
It is sad, that women and girls should be treated this way. Very sad.
El Salvador
Many girls, tens of thousands in fact, in El Salvador work as domestics, a form of labour that makes them particularly vulnerable to violence and sexual harassment. Girls as young as nine work for 12 or more hours a day, up to six days a week, for the small wages of $40 to $100 dollars a month. Over 60% of the girls reported physical or psychological abuse from their employers. As well, many girls working in domestics are not able to continue their education. they commonly drop out between the ages of 15 and 17 because their work hours conflict with school, or because of the expense of school fees. 95% of the domestics aged 14 to 19 are girls and women.
But the Salvadoran government denies that children, especially those under the minimum age of employment, 14, work in domestics in large numbers.
There are also maquiladoras in El Salvador, similar to those in Mexico, Honduras, Beilze and other places in Central America. The working conditions for women are not very good at all in El Salvador, the women often facing discrimination.
In the year and a half after the restriction placed on abortion in El Salvador, 69 cases of illegal abortion were brought before courts. Many of the women were poor, under-educated, young women, who self induced their abortions using clothes hangers, ingesting very high doses of birth control pills, antacids, caustic liquids or cytotec pills. This is very sad.
The law criminalizes abortion, even to save the pregnant woman's life, or in cases of rape or incest. The maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the region, 300/100,000 births. 41.6% of Salvadoran women have their first child before the age of 20.
Nicaragua
Violence against women is particularly widespread in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is affected by the culture of "machismo", like most other Latin American countries. Due to this, the processes of social change have affected men and women in different ways.
Women in Nicaragua obtained the right to vote in 1950, however, they continue to be marginalized from public domain. If they do enter the public domain, they do so in a situation of disadvantage compared to the men of the country. Also, women who enter the public domain continue to bear the brunt of the domestic responsibilities and work, especially women in the poorer sectors.
In the 80's, women acceded to the public sphere, which was previously considered a masculine domain. The social differences between men and women were not sufficiently understood, and many difficulties were faced in the efforts to bring women into the public sphere. Women's presence in parliament and local government today is quite low.
In the past decade, the feminist movement has developed a stronger base, but many people take gender perspective to mean only the implementation of activities with women, thus increasing women's workloads and widening the size of their diferent roles, without tackling the issue of gender inequality.
Women, who have less access to food because of gender inequality, though they are responsible for feeding their families, are especially threatened by the free trade agreements. More privatization of critical services will place access to health care, education, potable water, and electricity further out of reach for poor women and families. Women already have a higher illiteracy rate than men.
Women's reproductive health is threatened by a resurgence of the Ctholic Church and its policies. The maternal mortality rate is currently 250 out of 100,000 live births. One in every three adult women is anaemic, giving them a greater risk of infection and haemorrhaging during pregnancy.
Nicaragua is in a terrible state right now, suffering from decades of war and government neglect. The women especially are in a terrible plight.
Costa Rica
Women are encouraged to join politics in Costa Rica. the Supreme Electoral Tribunal declared that a minimum of 40% of candidates for elective office be women. Women are very well represented in government.
Domestic violence is a serious societal problem in Costa Rica. The National Institute (INAMU) for Women received an astounding 63,990 calls on a domestic abuse hotline from January to October 1998. the institute also counselled 4097 women who were victims of abuse and accepted 194 women into INAMU run shelters.
In 1996, a law against domestic violence was created to establish precautionary measures to help victims. Training to handle domestic violence was incorporated into the training of new police personnel. The law also requires public hospitals to report cases of domestic violence against women. It also denies the perpetrator possession of the family home in favour of the victim.
Prostitution is legal for anyone over the age of 18. The Penal Code prohibits individuals from promoting or facilitating the prostitution of either sex, separate from the individual's age, though the penalty is increased if the person is less than 18 years of age.
Women constitute 49.6% of the population of Costa Rica, according to a 2000 census. The 1990 Law for the Promotion of the Social Equality of Women forbids the discrimination of women and allows the government to promote the political, economic, social and cultural equality of women. There's even a Ministry of Women's Affairs!
Women over 15 are 36.6% of the labour force. They are well represented, and the government is working hard towards equality.
Panama
Over half of the students in Panama, even in fields like engineering and geology, are female. The illiteracy rate was only slightly lower for women than men. Women in Panama, however, do not enjoy equitable employment. Their unemployment rates are higher and they receive lower salaries for the same jobs that men do. 54% of women work as domestic employees and are neither unionized nor protected by social security. The retirement age of women was about five year's lower than that of men, despite the fact that women live longer. Women have a low participation in public life. Widows cannot remarry for 300 days after the death of their husbands, whilst the same was not true for widowers. The government says this is for their protection. The officials explained prostitution in women by the country's position as an international transit point. Abortion is prohibited except for rape cases or therapeutic reasons. In the mass media, women are used and abused as sexual objects! There is definitely a lot to work on in Panama!
Cuba
Coming soon!!!!
Jamiaca
Coming soon!!!!
Haiti
Coming soon!!!!
Dominican Republic
Coming soon!!!!
Bahamas
Coming soon!!!!
Australia
Coming soon!!!!
Back to Home
Back to top