Women, Gender, and Politics

N01 - Gender in a Global Context

Date: May 30 | Time: 08:45am to 10:15am | Location: Classroom - CL 417 Room ID:15707

Chair/Président/Présidente : Shannon Sampert (University of Winnipeg)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Shannon Sampert (University of Winnipeg)

Gender Equality from the MDGs to the SDGs: Rianne Mahon (Wilfrid Laurier University), Sara Taylor (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: Gender has a standalone goal and cuts across all other SDG goals. Fought for by women’s groups, the prominence given gender has been supported by key international organizations like the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which have proclaimed the centrality of gender equality to their own organizational goals. Like the SDGs, these IOs rely at least in part on governance by indicators, ranging from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators and the OECD’s Gender Portal. Our chapter will discuss the negotiations that resulted in the prominence given gender in the SDGs as background to our analysis of the politics that lie behind the selection of indicators. It will also discuss the importance of enlistment of key IOs like the World Bank and the OECD to advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The Politics of Global Policy Frames: An Analysis of Reproductive Health in Ghana: Candace Johnson (University of Guelph), Ebenezer Agyei (University of Guelph)
Abstract: Over the past few years, relatively little attention has been paid to issues regarding adolescent and youth health. Although several factors account for this phenomenon, it is useful to focus on the dynamics of the global development agenda. The sudden elevation of adolescent health and well-being into agenda prominence marks a historic transformation across the global health landscape, a development that necessitates critical attention and better understanding of the broader issues. What explains the dramatic shifts in global thinking regarding young people’s health? In what ways has the issue of adolescent and youth health been portrayed, and what are the implications of these global policy changes for young people’s health and well-being? Using the Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health Programme (GHARH) as a case in point, the paper maintains that the frames embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and by extension, the updated Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents health hold significant implications for young people’s health and development. While Ghana has taken advantage of recent global initiatives and opportunities, it remains unclear how the gains achieved can be sustained over time. Against this backdrop, we argue that an integrated ideational policy discourse, coupled with a strong sense of government ownership and commitment, is critical to advancing and sustaining global policy initiatives aimed at improving adolescent health and well-being. The study is important, as it advances further understanding on the impact of issue framing on vulnerable and marginalized populations.

1139.Johnson.Agyei.pdf