April 5, 2021
Global Women’s Issues: Background and Selected U.S. Efforts
For several decades, Congress has considered or enacted
decisionmaking levels for conflict prevention,
legislation aimed at improving the rights and status of
management, and resolution. (The council has since
women and girls worldwide. These efforts, which may
adopted nine follow-up resolutions.)
address a range of issues, including women’s health,
education, and security, are often grouped under the broad
U.S. Policy
policy umbrella of “global women’s issues.”
U.S. efforts to address global women’s issues have shifted
over time, often reflecting world events, domestic political
Background
conditions, and the priorities of individual policymakers.
Many U.S. and international policymakers have
During the past two decades, many Members of Congress
increasingly recognized gender inequality as a human rights
and the executive branch have increasingly recognized a
and development issue caused by longstanding unequal
growing body of research linking gender equality to the
power relationships between men and women. This
overall stability, prosperity, and security of societies.
imbalance is reflected in pervasive stereotypes, attitudes,
and behaviors that perpetuate a cycle of discrimination in
Selected Legislation and Trends. U.S. policymakers have
many societies, with significant consequences for women’s
considered women’s issues from global, regional, and
socio-economic status and security. Often women do not
country-specific perspectives, ranging from issuing high-
have equal decisionmaking power with men and cannot
level policy statements to providing assistance to other
independently make choices that affect their overall well-
governments, civil society, and international organizations.
being, including household decisions, marital status, health,
Some have also sought to incorporate women’s issues into
education, livelihood, and civic participation.
foreign policy on a broad level. In Congress, for example:
Compared with their male counterparts in the global
The “Percy Amendment,” enacted as part of the Foreign
workforce, women hold fewer paid positions and earn less
Assistance Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-189), requires that
for similar work. Many women also lack basic legal
foreign assistance funds work to integrate women into
protections. For example, in over 70 countries women hold
the national economies of developing countries.
no property or inheritance rights, and in more than 40
countries women have no legal protection against domestic
A provision included in annual State-Foreign Operations
violence. Globally, 60% of food insecure populations are
(SFOPS) Appropriations Acts since FY2014 requires
women and girls. The emergence of Coronavirus Disease
that funds from such acts promote gender equality in
2019 (COVID-19) has further exacerbated these issues;
diplomatic and development efforts. (For FY2021, see
some experts suggest that any recent gains in gender
Section 7059 of P.L. 116-260).
equality may be lost due to the secondary impacts of the
pandemic.
In the executive branch, successive Presidents have
supported different aspects of global women’s issues, in
Selected International Efforts
some cases issuing executive orders or memoranda. Most
Governments, including the United States, have sought to
recently, President Biden issued an executive order creating
address gender equality in international fora. For example: the White House Gender Policy Council, which seeks to
address gender issues in domestic and foreign policy.
The United Nations (U.N.) Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Legislation on women’s issues has at times reached an
Women (1979), ratified by 189 countries, is the only
impasse due to longstanding abortion and family planning-
treaty specifically addressing the rights of women. The
related debates. Some policymakers contend that previously
United States has signed but not ratified the convention
enacted abortion and family planning restrictions should be
due to sovereignty concerns.
included in certain gender-related legislation to ensure the
restrictions apply to those bills. Others argue that the
At the Fourth U.N. World Conference on Women
restrictions do not need to be included because they are
(1995), governments, including the United States,
already law or because the bills are unrelated to abortion or
committed to eliminating discrimination against women
family planning.
and affirmed that “women’s rights are human rights.”
Agency Roles. The Department of State and U.S. Agency
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women,
for International Development (USAID) play key roles in
Peace, and Security (2000), which was strongly
coordinating U.S. efforts to address women’s issues, with
supported by the United States, urged governments to
the names and priorities of relevant offices often changing
ensure the increased representation of women at all
between Administrations. The State Department’s Office of
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Global Women’s Issues: Background and Selected U.S. Efforts
Global Women’s Issues is led by an Ambassador-at-Large
LMICs. Appropriations for USAID maternal and child
who reports to the Secretary of State and is tasked with
health programs rose from $295 million in FY2001 to $855
coordinating and raising awareness of women’s issues.
million in FY2021. The State Department reports that the
(President Obama created the Ambassador position in
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief invested over
2009.) The origin of the office dates back to 1994, when
$800 million from FY2015 to FY2019 on HIV prevention
Congress declared that the department should designate a
programs for girls and young women.
senior advisor to promote international women’s human
rights (P.L. 103-236). The USAID Gender Equality and
Gender-Based Violence (GBV). GBV, which includes
Women’s Empowerment Hub was established in 1974 as
random acts of violence as well as sustained abuse over
the Office of Women in Development. Led by a senior
time, can be physical or psychological. Often
coordinator, it provides gender expertise, training, and
underreported, it occurs in all regions and economic classes,
technical assistance. Over time, some policymakers have
with higher rates in some developing countries. The United
proposed codifying the offices and leadership positions.
States supports a range of anti-GBV activities in more than
40 countries. In 2016, the Obama Administration issued a
Key Policy Issues
U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based
Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). Research has found
Violence Globally. For over a decade, Members have
that when women participate in peace processes they are
considered versions of the International Violence Against
more likely to build coalitions, support marginalized
Women Act, as well as bills addressing specific types of
groups, and promote national reconciliation. In 2017,
GBV. The FY2021 SFOPS Appropriations Act provides
Congress enacted the Women, Peace, and Security Act
$165 million for the multiyear strategy to address GBV.
(P.L. 115-68), which promotes women’s participation in
conflict prevention, management, and resolution; calls for a
Women in Humanitarian and Conflict Settings.
U.S. WPS strategy; and requires gender training. Presidents
Humanitarian crises and conflict situations often
Obama and Trump issued WPS strategies in 2016 and 2019,
disproportionately affect women and girls, who may be
respectively. The FY2021 SFOPS Appropriations Act
displaced and require life-saving assistance and protection.
provides $130 million for WPS and $50 million for
In these contexts, women are particularly vulnerable to
women’s leadership, including political participation.
exploitation, including GBV, which may be used as a
strategy of conflict or to induce displacement. Congress has
Women’s Economic Empowerment. Evidence suggests
long supported humanitarian assistance for vulnerable
that gender inequality is a barrier to economic growth and
populations, including women. It recently enacted bills to
that economic contributions from women are not fully
prevent child marriage in displaced populations (P.L. 116-
realized in many parts of the world. The United States has
94) and to support women and girls at risk from violent
long supported programs to increase economic
extremism and conflict (P.L. 115-31).
opportunities for women, most recently through the Trump
Administration’s W-GDP Initiative (Congress has
Congressional Considerations
appropriated up to $300 million to W-GDP since FY2020).
Integration into U.S. Foreign Assistance and Policy.
In 2018, Congress enacted the Women’s Entrepreneurship
Some Members may consider whether women’s issues can
and Economic Empowerment Act (P.L. 115-428), which
be more effectively addressed as discrete subjects, or as
aims to reduce gender disparity in economic opportunity
considerations within broader development assistance and
and codify gender analysis in USAID programs.
strategies. In the policy context, there is some debate as to
whether specific types of women’s issues can be isolated
Girls’ Education. Over 132 million girls are out of school
from each other or whether they are inextricably linked.
worldwide, while those who attend school often have lower
completion rates and learning levels than boys. Barriers to
Ongoing Oversight of Existing Legislation and Policies.
education include poverty, child marriage, conflict, and
Congress may continue to monitor executive branch
violence. U.S. global education activities support safe and
implementation of gender-related legislation, as well as the
quality education for both girls and boys, while recognizing
status of government and agency-wide policies addressing
the importance of gender parity in education for girls and
women’s issues, including how, if at all, they are adjusting
their communities. In 2017, Congress passed the
to recent global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act
(P.L. 115-56), which promotes activities that strengthen
Funding and Program Coordination. The State
educational systems, including removing education barriers
Department and USAID track some gender programming
for girls. The FY2021 SFOPS Appropriations Act provides
broadly; however, the U.S. government does not
$150 million for the education of girls in conflict areas.
comprehensively track or coordinate funding for specific
types of women’s issues. Some policymakers contend that
Women’s Health. Inadequate access to basic health care is
current efforts are adequate, while others argue that such
a key cause of more than 800 daily deaths from pregnancy-
challenges may hinder U.S. efforts to assess programs at
related causes worldwide, with 94% of these deaths in low-
both the policy level and in the field.
and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many girls and
women in LMICs suffer from malnourishment, which can
Luisa Blanchfield, Coordinator, Specialist in
raise the risk of disease, stunting, eclampsia, and obstetric
International Relations
fistula. They are also more susceptible to HIV, and women
Rhoda Margesson, Specialist in International
represent the majority of new HIV infections in many
Humanitarian Policy
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Global Women’s Issues: Background and Selected U.S. Efforts
IF11804
Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, Specialist in Global Health
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11804 · VERSION 1 · NEW