In the next 10 years, USAID estimates the population will grow around one billion people, or about 270,000 every day- 95 percent of this growth will be in the developing world. Overpopulation is conducive to poverty, poor health conditions, limited development and consequently low status and limited rights for women. High fertility rates coupled with low economic status and lack of resources make for an unsustainable society with a poor quality of life for all. Early, multiple and closely spaced pregnancies lead to risky health situations for both the mother and children, as well as limiting future opportunities for both. An extremely high abortion rate globally and millions of unwanted births indicate that while many women want to control their lives and family they lack the reproductive and health services to do so. USAID estimates that over 100 million women in the developing world have an articulated but unmet need for family planning measures. An estimated 500,000 women die each year from avoidable causes related to uncontrolled fertility, complications of pregnancy and childbirth. This all indicates a deep, resounding cry for help from women who want to gain control of their lives and effectively care for their families. The response to calm these cries should articulate reassurance in the dignity and worth of all individuals. Halting global population growth by commanding these women to cease having children is not the answer. The solution involves giving women the capability to practice the rights they merit as human beings. The global human rights community has come to recognize that empowering women and enhancing their status is the key to maintaining sustainable population growth, not coercive population strategies.

While the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights hypothetically provides women the same protection of their inherent rights as men, in many cases a gender biased social structure prevents women from practicing these rights, which calls for special measures that specifically address women’s needs. The South African Department of Justice in its draft “Gender Policy” recognizes that human rights issues require closer examination with respect to women:

The reality is that women have largely been rendered invisible in the legal system. They tend to require legal remedies for problems and violence which occur in their private world- with their husbands, partners, children, other relatives or friends. But the laws upon which they must rely have historically been formulated by men and are not informed by the genuine needs of women (Bringing Equality Home).

Empowering women and allowing them to participate equally in society involves altering the current social structure to eliminate gender bias. Areas such as education, politics, and the economic realm must be restructured to provide an equal opportunity for women to succeed. Currently, two-thirds of the 960 million illiterate adults in the world are women, but every year of schooling a woman receives is associated with a 5 to 10 % decline in infant mortality (Zero Population Growth Report). Fortunately, the grave problems we face have ordinary and fairly simple solutions that produce beneficial effects for everyone. “The more empowered women are—the more education they have, the more power they have at home and in the public sphere, the greater their access to birth control—the fewer children they have”(Sarah Fallon- Sierra Club). Furthermore, improving women’s rights and family planning are key in solving our daunting dilemma of global population growth. The UN International Conference on Population and Development concluded in 1994 that enabling men and women to achieve their own goals regarding childbearing would result in a near stable population by the middle of the next century. The global humanitarian community is currently attempting to empower women and slow population growth by making these vital issues recognized and rallying support for several important programs.

For my service learning project I chose to address the role of women’s empowerment and family planning as it relates to population growth. I worked with the Northstar chapter of the Sierra Club in Minneapolis on this issue. Nationally the Sierra Club supports several legislative measures regarding possible solutions to this problem, but no one in Minneapolis was currently working on the issue. I researched the background of the problem as well as the status of these particular pieces of legislation. Initially, I thought it would be fairly simple to find out the status of legislation, until I realized the massive quantity of bills that are being processed by the Senate and how easily somewhat obscure bills can get lost in the shuffle. I was doubtful about having any successful response from senators and committees in my search for information. But to my surprise, the staff at the senators’ offices as well as at the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations got back to me right away and was happy to answer my questions, although they did not provide me with as much information as I would have liked. Representatives of other organizations, especially at the national Sierra Club headquarters were much less responsive to my requests for information. I also contacted a few national women’s organizations that were active on the issue as well and they gave me useful information. But most of the data I gathered was found on the Internet or in the library.

One of the documents that explicitly defines this problem and provides for a clear solution is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW is the document that emerged from the United Nations Decade for Women. This document addresses some of the most basic rights of women, to ensure they have the right to vote and participate in political activities, have equal obligations in child raising, are free from discrimination in education, employment and the delivery of health care services. One of the most important aspects of CEDAW that distinguishes it from other sometimes criticized top-down family planning programs is that it promotes women’s health and other basic needs as a central aspect of the program, which improves general human welfare as well as decreases population growth rates (Sen 294). CEDAW recognizes that despite UN efforts, “extensive discrimination against women continues to exist.” Discrimination violates “the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity, is an obstacle to the participation of women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries, hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the family and makes more difficult the full development of the potentialities of women in the service of their countries and of humanity”(CEDAW preamble). With regard to family planning, CEDAW affirms women’s reproductive rights and obliges governments to develop laws that guarantee women’s rights “to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education, and means to enable the to exercise these rights”(Introduction and Article 16 e).

While this paper of high aspirations may sound idealistic and irrelevant to the people it was intended to help, CEDAW has already been implemented in numerous countries and is visibly improving the lives of women and is increasing the awareness of what needs to be done to assist women. In November 1999, 165 nations had ratified the treaty, leaving the U.S., Iran, North Korea as some of the few remaining nations that have not supported the Convention. Governments that have ratified CEDAW are required to submit reports at the end of the first year and every subsequent four years on related measures implemented in the country and their results. So far the Convention has been effective in addressing the needs of women in each specific nation and bringing them closer to independence.

Unfortunately, support for ratifying CEDAW in the U.S. has not been overwhelming, despite our strong women’s rights movement and national consciousness of gender issues. While ratifying the bill nationally in Congress currently appears to be a challenge, local movements have risen to demonstrate their support for the bill. In 1998, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to implement CEDAW principles within the city, which has appeared to be largely successful. Supporters hope this success will serve as an example to advocate women’s rights and implementation of CEDAW at the national level as well. CEDAW was introduced to the House as H.R. 2231 and later referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs where it awaits a hearing as Senate Resolution 237. The Convention needs 2/3 support or 67 votes for the Senate to consent to ratification, but unfortunately there has been no recent action even to schedule a hearing. It was urged that the U.S. ratify the treaty prior to March 8, 2000- International Women’s Day. Minnesota Senators Wellstone and Grams both sit on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and hold the power to schedule a hearing for the Resolution to demonstrate that the U.S., especially as a developed nation has a commitment to equal rights in practice as well as in theory.

Another current initiative that the U.S. government is pursuing to assist women in developing countries is the Microenterprise for Self Reliance Act (H.R. 1143) whose purpose is to provide some of the world’s poorest inhabitants with economic opportunities to sustain better economic conditions. This Act would give women the opportunity to become more economically independent. In many developing nations a woman cannot be approved for credit without the consent or support of a man. Furthermore, women typically have less access to educational and economic opportunities, larger workloads and less of a safety net than their male counterparts. This perpetuates a vicious cycle that prevents women from expanding their asset base or employment activities, keeps them trapped in subordination and poverty and severely limits the opportunities of their families. Microenterprise loans not only reduce poverty, but they decrease international dependence by creating credit, savings, training, and technical assistance for women who would not otherwise have substantial economic opportunities.

Currently the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act is also stuck in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee without a scheduled hearing. If the U.S. approved this Act and provided even a small amount of money to establish the program, millions of women could receive the opportunity to pursue economic independence in ways that were not previously possible and take charge of their lives. This program would be extremely effective in allowing poor women to help themselves and give them the confidence and power they need to succeed. It could also decrease the need for U.S. aid in the future. Our Minnesota Senators hold the power to make this possible- please urge them to consider the effects on the lives of women across the globe and bring this Act to a vote.

The Sierra Club and other NGO’s are working hard to enact these and other similar programs to improve the status of women everywhere, diminish the effects of the population boom and generally improve the state of the world for everyone. The most effective way to pass these initiatives that have already been introduced to the system and need only 67 votes in the Senate is to contact Senators Grams and Wellstone and demonstrate your support for these issues. In the upcoming elections it may also be important to consider the voting records of Senators on related issues. Senator Wellstone has typically voted in accordance (90% or higher) with the objectives of women’s rights and environmental interest groups such as: Zero Population Growth, Council for a Livable World, Human Rights Campaign AAUW, National Organization of Women, and Woman Activist International. (Vote Smart records). Senator Grams has not voted to support the interests of any of these groups. Finally, Women’s Day on March 8 is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the rights of women everywhere and show your support for family planning and reproductive healthcare, educational and economic opportunities for women and universal treaties and special programs such as CEDAW and the Microenterprise Self Reliance Act which specifically address the needs of women, but if you missed it you can show your support any day. You can call Senator Gram’s Minnesota office at (612) 427-5921 or Senator Wellstone’s St. Paul office at (800) 642-6041 or (651) 645-0323.

Unfortunately, the final product of my research was not quite as successful as I hoped it might be, but I certainly gained a lot from the experience. The results of my research were two editorial articles based on this information. One is going out in the Sierra Club North Star Journal newsletter in April and the other was submitted to the Star Tribune in hopes that they would publish it on International Women’s Day, March 8, but this unfortunately did not occur. Brett Smith, the international coordinator of the Northstar chapter was extremely helpful and pleasant to work with, although we only communicated through e-mail and I unfortunately never met him in person. He was very useful in generating ideas for projects and directed me to a lot of valuable resources. He also edited and co-authored the editorial I wrote for the Star Tribune, and prepared me for the possible rejection that he experiences on a regular basis since the Star Trib doesn’t usually print a lot of environmentally oriented articles.

Completing this project was a valuable experience in discovering what activism is all about; I learned that connections to important people and resources are a major aspect. The organization required to launch an environmental or social justice campaign at the national, or even regional level is daunting. Unfortunately, the legislation I chose to focus on does not appear to have a promising future. The two bills seem to be stuck for an unpredictable amount of time in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the fact that a regional newspaper would not even print my article to inform people on the issue makes me a little pessimistic about the future of this issue. But I still have hope that if so many foreign countries, and even city governments within the US can support CEDAW, so can our national government. Researching this project also made me realize that a lot of important activism is accomplished by NGO’s who are actually going to developing countries and attempting to solve some of these problems, but it is important to have a goal with widespread support in place. I think the best hope for the future is to educate people and make them aware of environmental issues. It is important to realize that most issues, especially women’s rights and population growth involve everyone at an integrated level.

Bibliography

• Heitlinger, Alena. Women’s Equality, Demography and Public Policies. St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
• Sen, Gita. Green Planet Blues. Westview Press, 1995.
• Taylor, Debbie. Women, a World Report. Oxford University Press, 1985.