Women and girls make up about half of the population in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Yet their desires for their lives, families and careers are often ignored in discussions about the region’s demographic future. Worse, their rights as equal citizens, including their reproductive rights, are under threat, as anxieties around population decline have given rise to pro-natalist policies and narratives putting pressure on women to have more children.
Demographic change comes with challenges. But limiting the rights and opportunities of women will not help address them. On the contrary, gender inequalities are one of the main reasons why so many people cannot have the number of children they want, and more gender-equal societies are in a stronger position to mitigate the negative effects of demographic change, and harness the opportunities that also come with it.
On World Population Day 2023, we highlight the need to advance gender equality by listening to the voices of women and girls and take concrete action. While it is governments that are primarily tasked with introducing laws and policies that increase gender equality and tackle demographic change, there are many things you can do, too.
Here are 7 ways individuals in this region can foster gender equality to help ensure that both men and women can prosper and have the number of children they want in a world of rapid demographic change:
1. Tackle stereotypes about gender roles in families and society
Pervasive stereotypes about the respective roles of women and men in their relationships, families, at the workplace and in society are key factors in preventing people from realizing their rights and fertility aspirations. Women continue to be expected to shoulder much of the unpaid care and household work at home (in Europe and Central Asia, women spend on average 2.5 times more time on unpaid care work than men). This means that many women find themselves in a situation where they are essentially forced to choose between career or family. On the other hand, men’s caregiving role is rarely recognized, let alone supported. Tackling harmful stereotypes and social norms takes time, but the potential benefits are massive – and go far beyond the prospect of increasing birth rates. Because when women can fully participate in all spheres of society without having to give up childbearing, countries are likely to become more demographically resilient and grow, perhaps not necessarily in population numbers, but in opportunity, stability and prosperity for generations to come.
2. Take paternity leave to build stronger families
In Kosovo (UNSCR 1244), 91 per cent of men who took parental leave to share in family caretaking responsibilities said that it had a positive impact on their relationship with their children. However, in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region as a whole, at least 35 million employed men aged 15–54 are either not entitled to paternity leave or are granted paternity leave of less than 10 working days. This matters, because when men play a more active role in unpaid care work, it also supports women and enables them to fulfil their career and fertility aspirations and balance their work and family responsibilities. UNFPA encourages governments and the private sector to adopt and implement inclusive family policies including paid parental leave for men. If parental, or carer, leave is not provided where you work, campaign for it! These policies support all employees to balance work with care and family responsibilities, by creating a supportive work culture and environment and providing both practical and abstract support to employees to do so.
Employees with caregiving and parenting responsibilities are an asset to the company, not a burden. Learn more about how UNFPA promotes engaged fatherhood and paternity leave.
3. Call for family-friendly workplaces
Evidence shows that gender-responsive family policies – both at the national level and those implemented by the private sector – are powerful tools to shift discriminatory gender norms and redistribute unpaid care work so that both women and men can realize their career aspirations and their fertility intentions. You don't have any gender-responsive family policies in place where you work? Call for them to be introduced into your workplace by highlighting the benefits to both workers and employers.
UNFPA, with support from the Austrian Development Cooperation, is partnering with the private sector and governments to champion gender-responsive family policies in the Western Balkans and Moldova under its Expanding Choices programme.
4. Share the care
Traditional notions of gender-based division of parental and domestic functions are out of touch with reality. They lead to many women struggling to reconcile career and family responsibilities. Men taking up their fair share of the unpaid care and household work at home allows both partners to pursue their work aspirations and family obligations, free women’s time, increase their access to resources and opportunities and improve their overall well-being and that of their families. It also makes it easier for couples to have the number of children they want. Research shows that involved fathers feel more emotionally connected to their partners and their children, and that they live happier, longer lives.
UNFPA supports governments to expand gender-responsive family policies and promote gender equality and a more equal distribution of unpaid care work in the family.
5. Empower women and girls
When women and girls are empowered to exert their rights and make decisions, they can fulfil their potential. Educate yourself about gender equality and women's rights by learning about the challenges women and girls face in your country. When you hear or see someone making a sexist remark, speak up! Let them know that their words are harmful and that you don't agree with them. You can also challenge gender stereotypes and bias in your own life, by choosing not to reinforce them in your words and actions. Support women-led organizations. You can also support women's organizations by learning about their work, participating, and donating your time or money.
The “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together Against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence” programme, run by UNFPA and UN Women, aims to change attitudes towards gender equality in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and to make sure women and girls can access their rights and follow their aspirations.
6. Respect reproductive rights and bodily autonomy
When women and girls are empowered to exert autonomy over their lives and bodies, they and their families thrive. The ability of women to control their fertility is fundamental to women’s empowerment and equality. When a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life. By helping to protect and promote reproductive rights – including the right to decide the number, timing and spacing of her children – you are ensuring her freedom to participate more fully and equally in society. Many women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia still lack the power to make their own decisions about whether to have sex with their partner, whether to use contraception and whether to see a doctor. Many countries do not even acknowledge that non-consensual sex between married spouses is rape. More men must become allies. When you respect bodily autonomy—a foundation of gender equality and for the enjoyment of all human rights—you help dismantle gender inequalities. UNFPA calls on policymakers to promote bodily autonomy, and commit to uprooting gender inequality and all forms of discrimination.
7. Help end gender-based violence
About one in three women in the region have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence committed by a partner or other person. When gender-based violence and ingrained gender inequalities go unchallenged, societies do not progress, and their development and demographic resilience is weakened. Learn about the different forms of gender-based violence, the impact it has on those exposed to it, and the laws and policies that are in place to protect survivors in your country. Gender stereotypes are often at the root of gender-based violence. By challenging stereotypes, we help create a more just and equitable society where everyone is treated with respect. If you know someone who is experiencing gender-based violence, offer your support and help them to access resources, or simply listen to them. Speak out against violence. If you see or hear someone making a sexist or violent remark, speak up! Let them know that their words are harmful.
UNFPA is working to engage men across the region and provides safe spaces for women survivors of violence to rebuild their lives.
