The Negative Experiences Of Women In The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

Human rights are important to consider when discussing the injustice that women face, as the treatment given by society often violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This essay will focus on human rights from the perspective of women in Australia by examining what human rights are, and the negative and positive experiences that women have encountered in relation to them. By doing this, the unique experiences women have had with human rights will be discussed as well as the barriers faced and possible recommendations will be suggested on how human rights can be better accessed by women in Australia. It should be noted that this essay will only discuss some of the major positive and negative experiences faced by Australian women

These experiences violate both article 23 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article six in International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (SOURCE ME). The gender pay gap is a measurement of disadvantage in the workplace and generally exposes the gender discrimination within the sector (Charlesworth and Macdonald 2014; Broderick 2012). Although a woman will hold the same credentials as her male counterpart, her median salary will be 95% of her male co-worker (SOURCE). The differences in pay can often result in women experiencing external difficulties with personal finances and superannuation, as they do not have sufficient funds (Cameron 2013; Broderick

Throughout early history, women were seen as inferior to men (SOURCE). However, through the creation and recognition of human rights, women were considered equals to their male counterparts and discrimination based upon gender was seen as a violation (SOURCE). The creation of these rights was a huge milestone for gender equality as it removed the social stigma that a woman was lesser value than a man. Education has been an area that has been positively influenced by the human rights movement. Under the International Bill of Rights, article 26 states that everyone is entitled to an education and access to higher education is based on an individual’s merit (SOURCE). The increase in participation is demonstrated in the differences between participation rates from 1911, with one in five women participating in higher education compared to one in two in 2011 (Booth and Kee 2009; Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013. The increase in participation rates can be a result of contributing factors such as more opportunities to gain higher education. However, as human rights was not officially declared in 1911, it can be said that introduction of human rights has had a positive impact for women in accessing higher education. The positive experiences of human rights that Australian women have encountered, is crucial to discuss as it has allowed for women to experience justice within the fields