By K.Govindan "WOMEN HOLD up half the sky" goes a Chinese revolutionary saying. though to the hosts at the Beijing United Nations Women's conterence it must have seemed as if the sky had fallen on their heads.
Besieged by 30,000 Women sio ancoordic parallel Non-Governmental conference, some of whom were vociferously critical of the Chinese record on stung by Hilary Clinton speech as leader of the US delegation to the offical gath. ering.
The US First Lady first identified issues in the conference ranging from female хспиа muusauon t dowry deaths and domestic violence. She then mounted a thinly veiled attack on China when she asserted that it is a violawomen are denied the right to plan their families". The rest of her speech was about how the family is the bed-rock of society: the very same institution in which most abuses of women occur.
The location of the Fourth conference had been controversial from the start. Undoubtedly 1949 revolution had ushered tremenoous cconomic changes with enormous strides in ad. pation of women in work and society. However China's single child family policy have abortions and has lod to fanticide reduces women's liberation to sloganising. Amartya Sen has calculated that there are more than 100 million women missing" in Asia alone, that is neglected, abandonce such The marketisation reforms in China have also had a contradictory effect. Among richer women personal freeare casier to make but many are at the rough end of the new industries, ununionised, poorly paid, badly housed and harmed by the atrocious safety record at these transnational sites.
Adjustment
The deteriorating position of women in countries subject women's access and use of education and health services and the representation of women in government were three areas of concern for proThe wording of the official declaration and the weakness of specific commitments particularly financial ones in the cated to Indian women's groups that "the statements are of good intention only. Tibetan women at the conference protest against Chinese occupation They do not identify the root neo-liberal tide and the scalcauses for the deterioration in ing back of expectations. the status of women'. They There is no mention of the added "the draft document uprooting and eradication of does not challenge global hei. poverty - the biggest killer of rachies and takes structural women worldwide. Instead adjustment as a given. It ac- the accepted terminology is its "alleviation' or "managecops many current trends and policies as unchangeable". ment'.
The radical ideas and pro- The official delegations • nouncements in Copenhagen particularly that of the United two decades ago and even States - bracketed at one stage Nairoot ten ycars ago nave 9u per cont of tie Becaradon been dissolved away in the giving notice of objections to them. The final document will as it suits individual governments. Every one came away Vatican to Saudi Arabia and the European Union delegations One Chinese woman taxi. driver commented, "As far as I am concerned, this [conference] is just a pain in the neck: a waste or catsy and a wasic of money. What do we ordi. nary people get out of it?' for ine non-govermcatal organisation their evaluation of participation in the confernce must be mixed. They were exiled to a muddy field from Beijing. Visas were denied to some prospective delegates political grounds.
Tibet
Tibetan women from over. as we maste oy cole and organisers who followed them around, video-taped their meetings and so on. Many NGOs have long ticulating the feelings of the poor and dispossessed. Some prefer the lobbying approsch including becoming expert ments, bashing the West but blind to their own failings.
Tet the question of Fibed has enjoyed some publicity. There is the recognition at least that gender based rights are human rights too and even sexual orenation cannot be dismissed any longer as itrelevant to discussions of women's rights.
How relevant though is sage of universal sisterhood to women who aren't rich, middic class and own property. and how have the Clinton Adminstration's policies and its big business backers wors ened the life chances of the average US woman?