The role of women in society : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

The role of women in society

  The General Assembly, Reaffirming the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, as well as the importance of the Declaration of Mexico on the Equality of Women and their Contribution to Development and Peace, 1975, the World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women's Year and the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women, Welcoming the results of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held at Nairobi from 15 to 26 July 1985, in particular the adoption of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, Noting that just and lasting peace and social progress, as well as the establishment of a new international economic order, require the active participation of women in promoting international peace and co-operation and in the process of development, Bearing in mind that economic inequality, colonialism, racism, racial discrimination, apartheid, foreign intervention, occupation, alien domination and terrorism in all its forms, acts of aggression and interference in the internal affairs of others and violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms constitute an impediment to the achievement of real and genuine equality and to the integration of women in society, Convinced of the necessity to secure for all women full realization of the rights embodied in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in the International Covenants on Human Rights and in other relevant instruments in this field, Recognizing that the achievement of equal and full participation of women in all spheres of activities constitutes an inseparable part of the political, economic, social and cultural development of all countries, Aware that efforts to promote the status of women in all its aspects and their complete integration in society go beyond the problem of legal equality and that deeper structural transformations of society and changes in present-day economic relations, as well as elimination of traditional prejudices through education and dissemination of information, are required so as to create conditions for women to develop fully their intellectual and physical capacities and to participate actively in the decision-making process in political, economic, social and cultural development, Mindful of the necessity to enlarge the possibilities for both men and women to combine parental duties and household work with paid employment and social activities, Aware that the role of women in child bearing should not be the cause of inequality and discrimination, and that child rearing demands shared responsibilities among women, men and society as a whole, Deeply appreciating the increasing participation of women in political, economic, social and cultural life and their contribution thereto,

1. Appeals to all Governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to recognize in their activities the importance of all interrelated aspects of the role of women in society - as mothers, as participants in economic development and as participants in public life -without underestimating any one of them;

2. Calls upon all Governments to encourage such social and economic development that would secure the participation of women in all spheres of work, equal pay for work of equal value and equal opportunities for education and for professional and vocational training, taking into consideration the necessity of combining all aspects of the role of women in society;

3. Appeals to Governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to promote conditions that would enable women to participate as equal partners with men in public and political life, in the decision-making process at all levels and in the management of different spheres of life in society;

4. Calls upon Governments to recognize the special status and social importance of motherhood and to take, in the context of their specific abilities and conditions, all necessary measures to promote its protection, including maternity leave with pay, and to provide security for their jobs as long as necessary, so as to allow women, if they so wish, to fulfil their role as mothers without prejudice to their professional and public activities;

5. Appeals to Governments to promote the establishment of appropriate facilities for child-care and education of children as a means of combining parenthood with economic, political, social, cultural and other activities and thus to provide assistance to women in integrating fully into their societies;

6. Decides to consider the question of the role of women in society at its forty-first session under an item entitled "Forward-looking strategies for the advancement of women to the year 2000"..