What is Gender Equality?
Discussions of the term Gender Equality centre on the concepts and practices of equal opportunity within the workplace setting, but there is much more to equality than policies and procedures, important though they are. From its broadest perspective, Gender Equality is understood as the equitable impact of society on the rights, freedoms and interests of women. These are, indeed, lofty ideals, but what do they mean?
In many societies, the general pattern is that women have less personal autonomy, fewer resources at their disposal and limited influence over the decision-making processes that shape their societies and their own lives. From an agricultural perspective, global examples include: women's unequal participation in farm organizations; women's limited impact on farm policy; restrictions on women's ownership and control of resources; unjust legislation; and women's lower socioeconomic status and increased vulnerability to poverty and economic insecurity. To reach and maintain Gender Equality requires a multi-dimensional change of attitude among men and women regarding women's participation in society and the economy.
Why is Gender Equality important to AIC and its Members?
Historically, AIC reflected the agricultural sector in Canada and for many years the organization responded primarily to a male environment. However, as years passed and the number of women in the agricultural sector increased, the number of female members in AIC did not increase correspondingly, nor was the increase of women in the agriculture sector reflected in how AIC operated.
For example, since 1920, AIC has had 84 Presidents and our current president is only the third woman to hold the position. Although some AIC activities, such as the international program, held a gender equality component, the expectations on our partners were often greater than the expectations on our own organization. However, recent years have seen some significant changes. With the 2009 incoming President, three of the nine AIC Presidents between 2000 and 2009 have been women. Since the inception of the AIC Young Agrologist Award in 1995, five of the award recipients have been women. In 2006, the international program was charged with including components that would encourage and enable AIC to better integrate Gender Equality within its own administration, governance, activities and programs.
What is AIC doing to advance Gender Equality?
Committing to gender equality is a long-term process that demands dedication to change on both the individual and organizational levels and means committing to a process of learning, analysis, reflection and action. AIC has embarked on a journey that will lead to men and women sharing equally in the power, decision making, work and benefits of the organization and its programs. This journey will be guided by a process known as gender mainstreaming, which takes into account gender concerns in all areas of endeavour, including how Gender Equality is expressed in AIC's governance, administration, membership, conferences, awards, journals, programs, and more. This is a very progressive effort by AIC, and will only be achieved through the active engagement and contributions of AIC members and supporters.
Read AIC's gender equality policy
Gender Equality within the International Twinning Partnership Program
Other resources
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