One in four women is not free to say no to sex, U.N. research finds

By Ellen Wulfhorst

 

Contraceptives are seen at a family planning clinic in Cairo, Egypt August 13, 2017. REUTERS/Nadine Awadalla

 

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Only about half the world's women can make their own decisions on sexual consent and health care, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning such limited rights stand in the way of gender equality.

 

One in four women were not free to say no to sex, and a higher proportion were unable to make their own decisions about health care, according to a study by the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) that found women's rights declining in some countries.

 

Achieving gender equality by 2030 was one of the global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to tackle social ills like poverty and conflict. 

 

"Women's ability to make decisions on reproductive health, contraceptive use and sexual relations is pivotal to gender equality and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights," the UNFPA said in the report.

 

The UNFPA looked at women's access to health care and whether they could make their own decisions on contraception and say no to sex, said Emilie Filmer-Wilson, UNFPA human rights adviser.

 

Just 55% of women were able to say yes to all three questions, according to survey data collected from 57 countries, Filmer-Wilson said.

 

"If she can make those decisions in all three areas, that woman is seen as empowered," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

 

In one in 10 countries, women must be married to get maternity health care, and more than 25% of countries have age restrictions for access to contraception and require married women to get their husband's consent for an abortion, the research said.

 

Factors affecting women's abilities to make their own decision included their education levels, the age they married and the views of their husbands, Filmer-Wilson said.

 

"For the general public, I think it's a wake-up call," she said. "We've got more work to do in terms of women's empowerment."

 

The research also found that three-quarters of the countries it studied had laws in place to guarantee women's rights, but those laws may exist in countries with cultural or religious customs and practices that restricted their rights.

 

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst. Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-02

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Paragraph 2

 

"......found women's rights declining in some countries."

 

Relax gentlemen, we're not all being labelled as rapists, yet again.

 

However the Gender Equality campaign continues!  No, I'm not being mysoginistic.

 

Is there a link to this, I'd like to see the statistics on these 57 countries?

 

(the emoji panel still does not load)

12 minutes ago, pdtokyo said:

Here you go ...

https://www.unfpa.org/news/staggering-numbers-women-unable-exercise-decision-making-over-their-own-bodies-new-unfpa-report

 

... a 5 second Google search (UNFPA + report)

 

Curious ... if you're not mysogynistic, why do you need to explicitly state this? 

 

Sorry, can't help with your emoji problem ... but again, curious why you put that complaint in a post related to misogyny?

1: Thank you for your 5 seconds.

 

2: Because Gender Equality isn't possible - my saying that, might label me as such.

 

3: Because, emojis add expression to what is posted on here, & I would have put a *wry smile emoji*

 

4: Do you feel replete now?

 

 

 

 

Don't know about that but my missus say NO all the times...

8 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Don't know about that but my missus say NO all the times...

Not to me she doesnt????

It is 100% denial in western countries that is why many of us came to Thailand.

As far as I am concerned all women should be able to decide what they want including abortion, etc.

 

One of the questions is obviously: Who restricts those women? Did all the men come together to force some rules on them which they don't want?

 

Lets look i.e. at the land of the free: How many women vote for many officials who are against abortion? Many women do that, otherwise these people wouldn't be elected. And many women chose to support religions and preachers who force women in certain roles. Why do women do that?

 

If all women would insist that they are free and only 10% of men would support them that would still be the majority. Women have the power to change things the way they want it. Or, in other words, it shows that many women want it like it is.

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

As far as I am concerned all women should be able to decide what they want including abortion, etc.

 

One of the questions is obviously: Who restricts those women? Did all the men come together to force some rules on them which they don't want?

 

Lets look i.e. at the land of the free: How many women vote for many officials who are against abortion? Many women do that, otherwise these people wouldn't be elected. And many women chose to support religions and preachers who force women in certain roles. Why do women do that?

 

If all women would insist that they are free and only 10% of men would support them that would still be the majority. Women have the power to change things the way they want it. Or, in other words, it shows that many women want it like it is.

It’s a little more complicated than that.

12 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s a little more complicated than that.

That's interesting. Why don't you explain it or link to and article with explains it.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Achieving gender equality by 2030 was one of the global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to tackle social ills like poverty and conflict. 

15 years to change culture of millennia! Good luck with that. I suppose it gives a lot of UN bureaucrats a job though.

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s a little more complicated than that.

I actually agree with you Chomps - for once.

 

*Smile emoji*

Troll posts and the trolling replies have been removed. 

World population 8 billion, Population of the west 1 billion.

I'm surprised it's only half the women, I would have thought it would be nearer 1/8.

 

Seems to me this is just another excuse for man bashing in the west, we aren't responsible for what the rest of the world does. An interesting side issue, where women are given the choice, their choice is often not to breed, and that population dies out to be replaced by those who didn't give their women a choice.

Edited April 2, 20206 yr by BritManToo

Then there's the argument, that Gender is a social construct......

 

 

This explains it quite well, especially at 2:20.

 

 

2 minutes ago, car720 said:

but I cannot help wondering if anyone asked them if they want to say 'no' to sex.  

If it was a survey of married white women, there would be no need to ask that question.

In Thailand one in four women don't give sex for free anyway

How many women in the West, have you seen:

 

Working Construction?

 

In Garbage disposal - ie running behind the truck collecting the bins?

 

 

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

Don't know about that but my missus say NO all the times...

You should give her a good tongue lashing where the sun don’t shine.

Troll post removed

The way out is to give women a. pistol and teach them how to use it. Few rapists can stop a bullet and. continue with their main mission.

4 hours ago, Chazar said:

Not to me she doesnt????

Oh God,she said it was only me she was having an affair with.☹️

A couple of points:

 

1, if this is about gender equality, why is the report only showing results for women?  Is it required to show how men would answer the same questions, or the relevant equivalent for their gender?  Or is it just assumed that men always have full agency over their bodies because they are men and no research or evidence is needed?  This seems incredibly sexist to me.

 

2, it's quite frustrating that people use these stats in terms of "women around the world", when you know that they will use these statistics to try and gain power even in countries where the results are nowhere near the same.  E.g. women in California using the state of women's rights in Africa to demand advantages.

 

This all smacks of using the worst example of how women are forced to live globally compared with the best example of how men are able to live globally, to decided gender policy wherever it is seen fit to do so.

16 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

The way out is to give women a. pistol and teach them how to use it. Few rapists can stop a bullet and. continue with their main mission.

This is actually a great idea.  It would do a lot to prevent false rape allegations.

No = YES!

I’ve had plenty of them say no and I’ve listened and respected their wishes as a gentleman should that beeing said I’ve had plenty say yes growing up in California in the late 60s sex drugs and rock and roll good times!!

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

Don't know about that but my missus say NO all the times...

I ALWAYS LIke to hear the 'Other side of the story'..........

Could you please put the Mrs. on?

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

If it was a survey of married white women, there would be no need to ask that question.

I wonder if there is a gene that makes western women randy till after they get married. My first partner was up for it till she had me trapped. She tried it on her next victim too, but he wasn't going to have that and divorced her pronto.

17 minutes ago, pdtokyo said:

Well, the genetic aspect is certainly worth exploring if you are still pre-occupied with the business of your ex-wife's libido ... but ... [pauses, looks up at ceiling and taps chin thoughtfully with forefinger] .... maybe learned experience may account for her changed post-nuptial behaviour. Hard to pinpoint the cause really. Move on?

I have no idea as to the point you are attempting to make. Perhaps you could repeat in more simple language.

5 minutes ago, pdtokyo said:

Sorry i can't help you with that. Maybe you could stick a ''confused" smiley on my post and move on?

Given you were quoting me I'd like to know what you meant.