Haitian women face a number of challenges under the umbrella of gender inequality: gender-based violence, a lower employment rate, the inability to support themselves financially or have ownership over property, and an overall absence of representation. These issues can be traced to way back in the nation’s history, but they have only been exacerbated by instability stemming from the devastating earthquake in August of this year. As explained by the Chr. Michelsen Institute, “Since women are more often socioeconomically disadvantaged than men, they become more vulnerable to the consequences of such disasters,” and ignoring elements of gender inequality hidden throughout the structures of a country can lead to major consequences regarding economic development and more. However, much of the international community’s contributions has been about “sidelining” the long-term efforts of Haiti’s women’s movement and instead throwing money behind short-term projects that appear to some as meeting the urgency compelled by the earthquake. People must think ahead in terms of women’s rights and gender inequality, and these issues must be addressed in the long-term as well. Studying other countries, small actions that made a big difference, shortcomings in past policies, and specific overall goals can help alleviate the problem of gender inequality in Haiti.
Gender-Based Violence
“One in three Haitian women between the ages of 15 and 49 has experienced some form of gender-based violence,” yet legal protection tends to fall through when it comes to women and girls. Rape and domestic violence were non-punishable offenses in Haiti until 2005. No laws were in place to help survivors beforehand. While the changes all those years ago were cause to celebrate, it was the bare minimum, and efforts must not relax now.
After the events that occurred in August, it is all the more important to stay vigilant. This is exemplified through the Haiti earthquake of 2010, a disaster causing many issues including a considerable amount of gender-based violence. This was as women resigned to living on the streets, internally displaced person (IDP) camps were created, and resources continued to be allocated to other areas of concern.
It has been noted that initiatives are too reactive and not sufficiently preventative. There are ways to fix this. For example, after women had been attacked while they were headed to the toilet at a camp, the American Jewish World Service spread street lamps to make them feel safer, and even safety patrols to guide women to the public washing areas were established. Many places have implemented simple approaches to addressing gender-based violence, such as lighting. The road to success requires the inclusion of women’s voices and representation as security plans are concocted.
Clearly, although punishment for gender-based violence has improved, this is an ongoing issue easily furthered by special events—like an earthquake—and more must be done to prevent it, not just react to it. This would help not only women, but the whole population. Women “make up 85 percent of the victims of violence registered in hospitals and health centers,” so of course “the health-care costs and productivity loss due to violence is undoubtedly large.” Violence against women has harsh immediate and long-term effects, and small steps as aforementioned may work wonders.
The Informal Sector
Another gender issue is discrimination in hiring practices. Reportedly, women have a twenty percent higher chance of unemployment than men. The majority of women work in the informal sector of the economy, a branch that has been described as “unregulated, unsupervised, and unstable,” and three-quarters of people working in that sector are women. Given that the informal sector includes “makeshift markets, petty trade, home-based businesses and restaurants,” women are the primary victims of lost livelihood.
Going forward, Haiti must pay special attention to women’s job loss. There are many ways to do so, as evidenced through the example of Liberia. After Liberia’s civil war, the new president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made an attempt to improve informal markets. This effort led to the creation of the Market Women’s Fund, and the board has since raised millions of dollars to enhance market infrastructure. At the same time, the fund has supported causes such as child care, issues more directly tied to women. The lesson learned from Liberia is that a country can help these two causes for women and the economy simultaneously. In the end, two birds were killed with one stone.
Financial Mechanisms for Women
While “women earn less than half of men’s wages” in Haiti, they tend to have little power or background regarding finances. A forefront problem is with control, and that is a two-pronged idea. First, women tend to be caregivers in Haiti, and therefore they are seen as responsible for emergencies like health issues. Short-term emergencies can cause extreme instability, and the recent earthquake is no help. Since women are placed as heads of households, they are the ones who end up in charge of taking care of short-term situations like these, and they often end up pulling funds from their business savings. It is difficult to get a whole demographic of people to succeed in their employment when they are also riddled with other people’s expectations. Second, women are often not listed on accounts and property titles. This may interfere with their ability to receive government assistance, make the best decisions for their businesses, and more.
One way that Haiti can kill two birds—women’s and economic issues—is through Microfinance Institutions. Currently, wages that are not used immediately often do not meet their full potential as an investment, and access to financial services targeted towards women could make a major difference. Additionally, MFIs would allow women to keep money under their own names, therefore maintaining control of their assets. Along with these perks could come financial literacy programs like the ones in the Dominican Republic, teaching women how to succeed in an already existing system.
Another clear way to move forward is to create joint property titles; creating a fair system to establish ownership of property can have ripple effects, like in Tamil Nadu. After the terrible tsunami that hit India, the push for joint land titles reportedly led to an increase in women’s participation in the community and leadership roles. On top of that, status, income, and employment stability were all positively affected due to this update. Increasing women’s control of their finances will, over time, help shrink the gender gap in multiple facets.
Women’s Representation
Haiti is ranked 187th out of 190 countries on the topic of political representation of women, and this is representative of a broader problem. Following the earthquake, there is an opportunity. It is one of the only positive side effects of such a catastrophic event, but there is an opportunity for change in terms of gender inequality in the country. From a past one of Haiti’s earthquakes, the post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) said that women have been “left out of the equation when it comes to rebuilding the country’s judicial, administrative, legislative and democratic systems.” In order to create a country where women are treated like and able to be equals, the structures must support that goal.
Haiti has actually previously acknowledged the lack of women in leadership roles. In 2012, a constitutional amendment was put in place that said that 30 percent of all public positions must be filled by women, for example. However, the gender quota has not been met because policy is ineffective without a method for implementation plus accountability. The details were not there in the decision making. It is critical to include women in the rebuilding and development process in order to create a Haiti free of gender inequality.
A Long-Term Solution
Gender-based violence, unemployment, a lack of financial control, and insufficient representation in decision-making are some of the main issues facing women in Haiti. While these issues have been clear for quite some time, the instability caused by the earthquake from August of this year only further exposed the challenges women face in the country. As the economy suffers, women—those who are already the most economically underprivileged—are being hit the hardest, and a multitude of systemic flaws are on full display. These gender-based challenges are not just due to social problems; they are generated and maintained as a result of the structures and institutions that governments build, and the very people most affected by these structures are those who are excluded from positions of power. What should be done now is an examination of the holes in major prior policies as well as the smaller, quicker changes that worked, the creation of specific, long-term strategies, and an evidence-based evaluation of other programs, using other countries as case studies. Other countries should resist the urge to throw money solely behind rapid emergency response programs and plan for investing in thorough solutions. Alleviating the issue of gender inequality and ensuring women’s rights in Haiti requires strong social and economic infrastructure. It is time to start looking at women’s issues holistically and in the context of all policy decisions.