Missing links: on the decoupling between women's rights policies, outcomes and reports

Abstract

Countries continuously fall short of gender equality goals despite countless efforts to promote change. Therefore, I ask: Why do these inequalities persist, especially among low- to middle-income countries and regardless of the international support they receive? Using a World Society lens, this thesis examines policies and practices in gender and development to understand the gap between their objectives and results. I employ a mixed-methods approach in two related studies. The first study is a quantitative analysis of the impact of laws against gendered employment-discrimination on women's participation in quality work. In the second study, I carry out a discourse analysis on country self-reports on their CEDAW implementation efforts. In an appendix, I apply the findings from both chapters to the context of Newfoundland and Labrador. The findings from this thesis suggest a need for reform to ensure that gender equality policies are adequately adapted to the cultural context.