UNFPA: Supporting Gender Equality in Georgia

What's the situation?

Georgia's transition from being a communist republic of the Soviet Union to an independent state has not been easy. Independence in 1991 was followed by an economic slump and periods of political instability. Civil war and armed conflicts led to the displacement of around 300,000 people and added to an increase in poverty and the emergence of new social disparities.

Although Georgians now enjoy many more rights, freedoms and opportunities than in Soviet times, these socio-economic difficulties have created a gender imbalance and eroded the status of women in society.

Although education levels of both men and women in post-Soviet Georgia remain very high, empowerment among women in Georgia is still low. Currently opportunities for career and professional growth for majority of women are limited. This makes many women particularly vulnerable to poverty.

With the end of the Soviet "quota" system, which artificially ensured a proportion of women in political and administrative roles , Georgian politics is now dominated by men at all levels. Only a minor proportion of women hold senior positions in the legislature and the executive. Out of a cabinet of 17 ministers, only three are women and there are no female regional governors.

New poverty and a lack of jobs has led to a large wave of migration from Georgia 960,000 people left the country during the last years. The lengthy absence of family members of a working age has increased the economic pressures on those who have remained in many cases women.

However, women of employable age are also leaving Georgia to look for work. According to a survey by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2003, women make up 40 per cent of labour migrants from Georgia.

This extensive seasonal migration also has serious health risks. Returning migrant workers and a low level of public awareness have contributed to a rise in sexually transmitted infections (STI)s and HIV/AIDS in Georgia. Among the counties which made up the former Soviet Union, Georgia now has one of the highest rates of STIs. Although Georgia in 2004 had only 597 registered cases of HIV/AIDS, its proximity to high prevalence countries such as Russia mean that there is a danger that this number will increase.

Economic and social problems in Georgia have led to an increase in incidents of domestic violence targeted at women an issue which receives little public or media attention .

Getting an accurate picture of the scale of violence against women is an additional challenge. UNFPA supported The Survey on Women's Reproductive Health (1999-2000) which produced the first population-based national information on violence against women in Georgia. On the basis of the responses of the Georgian women who took part in this study, the Survey gives the impression that women in Georgia have the lowest prevalence of lifetime physical abuse (5%) and recent physical abuse by their spouses among any of the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

However it is likely that the true scale of violence is underestimated in the survey because many of the women responding to it may have felt embarrassed or pressured by cultural or social tradition to underplay or deny that such violence takes place.

Over the last ten years there has also been an increase in trafficking of girls and women.

Although there is general awareness about family planning , cultural stigmas and a lack of supportive policies and education policies mean that the understanding of sexual and reproductive health (RH) and reproductive rights among young people is limited.

Poverty and unemployment have caused a dramatic drop in the birth rate (by 37 per cent since 1990). Increased availability of family planning services and supplies has led to a 70 per cent decrease in the number of abortions. But the abortion rate still remains high 371.1 per 1000 live births in 2004

The reproductive health and needs of Georgia's male population also need special attention. Family planning services in post-Soviet Georgia tend to be female-orientated. Involving men in issues of reproductive health and giving them better access to RH information and services will help to improve gender equality in other areas of life in Georgia.

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