User:RubenGer/sandbox

Overview
Gender equality, the right that all men and women should receive equal treatment in all aspects, is recognized as a human right by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The process of women’s emancipation in Nicaragua started with AMNLAE’s female activism and the Sandinistas’ support between 1979 and 1982. From this point onward, the legislature has encouraged women’s rights officially.

Nowadays, according to the Global Gender Gap Report, the Middle-American country is ranked 12th out of 145 selected countries. The Global Gender Gap Index ranks countries on how far women are behind men in regards to health, education and economic and political indicators. Instances where women are rated ahead of men are not counted as inequality.

Statistics from the World Bank Data Portal show that the ratio of total female labor was 38.93% in 2017.

Nicaragua ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on October 27, 1981.

The Human Development Report ranked Nicaragua on place 106 out of 160 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (GII) in 2017. It reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions-reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity.

History
Throughout history, the role of women in Nicaragua has been deeply traditional and therefore, deeply unequal. Men and women held really different social roles and were supposed to adhere to common stereotypes, namely the working men and the woman responsible for the household. This was largely due to the concepts of marianismo and machismo, two prevalent forms of Latin American cultural behavior. According to marianismo and machismo, regardless of class, women don't possess the same legal rights as men. Additionally, women are subordinates of fathers and husbands, not allowed to make their own decisions. At the same time, women have to uphold the morality of the family and are responsible for its spiritual development and well-being.

Men were exempt from those duties and not legally obliged to acknowledge and support children or support their families financially.

Out of those circumstances, the rate of female-headed families was several times higher than nowadays.

Overall, women were less educated, had fewer financial resources, were employed in less-skilled, lower-paying jobs and had fewer civil and legal rights than men.

Change through the Revolution
The lives of women in Nicaragua didn’t change until the Sandinista Revolution that started in 1979. In 1987, it was reported that 67% of 'active members' in the popular militia were women. Before the movement, topics like domestic violence and sexual abuse were taboo and not viewed as injustice by society. As a result of the revolution, changes in gender discourses, policies and programs promoted by the Nicaraguan women’s movement, beginning with the AMNLAE, occurred in the early 1980’s and continued with an autonomous women’s movement in the 1990’s. The Sandinistas’ reforms in family law, their discourse on women’s emancipation and the promotion of the New Man as a proper family man were meant to pave the way for the modern role of women in Nicaraguan society. This decision led to conflicts as men saw their dominant position threatened, which extended the process until the end of the 1990’s, when international fundings and a neoliberal government prioritized establishing a new female figure. After the revolution, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSNL) party became the most powerful party which makes the multiparty constitutional republic a single party ruled system. Still, the country has to face increasing societal violence against women and violent attacks against the LGBT community, to which police fails to respond.

Equality in Health Care
The degree of health care for women in Nicaragua depends on whether they live in the rural or urban area. Overall, the percentage of births attended by skilled health staff was 88%. The number of pregnant women receiving prenatal care grew steady over the past years, amounting to 94.7% in 2012. The maternal mortality ratio is at 0.15%, according to data from 2015.

In 2012, a mother’s mean age at first birth was 19.2 years.

Female life expectancy is 8.6% higher than that of men.

Political and Public Representation
In 1955, women received the right to vote and be elected.

With the participation in the revolution, women began to have a voice in political decisions, originally their motivation was the will to protect their families.

"Everything that we did was for our children so that they could learn to read, so they could have a better life, then we, with this idea, participated in the Revolution. With the idea that they were going to learn to read, that they were going to learn many things that they didn't know, with this we integrated in the process of the Revolution," Ser madre en Nicaragua (Being a Mother in Nicaragua) 22.

The Nicaraguan Institute for Women became independent in 2007.

The participation of women in managerial and executive positions was 33.9% in 2012.

In 2017, 45.7 percent of parliamentary seats were held by women, which is the highest rate in all middle-American countries.

Legal Situation
In 1994, Nicaragua signed the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In 2012, Nicaragua passed Law 779, which strengthens the protection of victims and creates an avenue for women to seek justice in such cases of violence against women.

Education
The literacy rate of the female youth (15-24) was 88.8% in 2012 and with that, 3.6% higher than the rate of male youth. From pre-primary school to secondary school, generally more female than male students are enrolled, education is free and accessible to every Nicaraguan. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) in Nicaragua was 1.035 in 2010, 3.8% higher than the worldwide average.