UN Dispatch on Helping Women and Girls Face the Challenges of Post Earthquake Haiti

The UN Dispatch website today podcasts an interview on the subject of the challenges faced by women since the earthquake in Haiti nearly one year ago. Just as the treatment and the equality of opportunity of women improves as a country becomes more prosperous and safe, so we see that when a catastrophe like the Haitian earthquake leaves a huge number of people in desperate poverty and physical danger, women suffer the effects disproportionately. From poor healthcare, lack of access to contraception and family planning education, poor security and the increased prevalence of sexual violence, things are pretty bleak (Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate during childbirth in the western world). The director of women and population at the UN Foundation explains in this interview what her organization is doing to improve the situation for women in particular in the huge homeless camps across Haiti.

Women and public sector job cuts

From Left Foot Forward, an article which includes interesting stats about women working in the public services.

I should like to add that women are also disproportionately represented in low-paid jobs, such as cleaning and caring agencies, once public and now private.