News Articles About Women's Issues in Belarus, 1998-99

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Article: Human Rights Movement "Women for the Rights of Relatives Persecuted by the Regime" Founded in Belarus

"A human rights movement named 'Women for the Rights of Relatives Persecuted by the Regime' has been founded in Belarus."

"As one of the founders, Arina Vyachorka, said at a December 27 [1999] news conference, the movement now has more than 40 members. According to Mrs. Vyachorka, they include the daughter of former Minister of Agriculture Vasily Leonov, the mothers of reporters Pavel Sheremet and Irina Khalip and of Malady Front activists Pavel Severinets and Vadim Labkovich, and the wives of the missing former Interior Minister Yury Zakharenko, of the jailed 13th Supreme Soviet members Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Kudinov, and of filmmaker Yury Khashchevatsky."

"The movement views its key goals as mutual assistance, an active part in public life, informing the public of human rights violations, and monitoring repressive measures taken by the government against its opponents. The movement is not going to register with the Ministry of Justice. It does not plan to keep a formal record of members or to have one leader."

"Galina Sivchik told reporters that she felt helpless when her son was arrested in 1996, and psychological pressure was aggravated by money troubles. The new movement is expected to help its members deal with such problems."

"Tatyana Klimov said that at first she expected the circle of the movement's members to be very narrow. 'But I was wrong. There are more and more of us,' she said."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 106; Monday, December 27, 1999; 9:30 p.m.

Article: Ways to Ensure Better Opportunities for Women Discussed at a National Conference in Minsk

"The status of women in Belarusian society and ways to ensure better opportunities for them were discussed at a national conference in Minsk on December 2 and 3 [1999]. The "pyramid principle" is still prevailing in Belarus, as far as women's access to the positions of authority is concerned: the higher the level of management, the smaller the proportion of women employed there, said Irina Chutkova, executive director of the Gender Information and Policy Center of the Belarusian Ministry of Social Protection. The pyramid principle can be seen in all professions, including traditionally "feminized" areas such as education and health care. For instance, women account for 85.5 percent of all teachers in secondary schools and only for 47.7 percent of school headmasters."

"Representatives of the Independent Women's Democratic Movement believe that women's problems can be resolved only after women have real power in Belarus. Female politicians so far have not found understanding in society, they said."

"Mikhail Ovsiyevich, deputy director for research at the Minsk City Institute for Improving Teachers' Skills, on the contrary, sees the need for women to return to their traditional role in the family. He said that Belarus' needs a state system for preparing boys and girls for family life."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 16; Friday, December 3, 1999; 7:20 p.m.

Article: Traditional Approaches, Which Bar Women from Making Key Decisions, are Still Prevalent in Belarus, Says a UNDP Report

"Despite Belarus' all efforts to achieve the gender balance, the traditional approaches, which bar women from making key decisions, are still prevalent, says the 1999 National Human Development Report prepared by the UN Development Program. The Presidential Administration, the Ministries of Economy, of Statistics and Analysis, of Architecture and Construction, and of Internal Affairs, the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences, and research establishment assisted the UNDP in preparing the report. The report addresses sustainable development issues and state sustainable development policies against the background of demographic, economic, social, educational, scientific, cultural, and environmental developments in the country."

"Analyzing women's socio-economic status, the report says that women's wages are approximately two-thirds of men's, which constitutes a significant disparity, particularly in comparison to the developed world. Although women constitute 62 percent of all employees in public administration and 53 percent of all those employed in ministries and governmental agencies, they remain considerably underrepresented in the upper tiers of management. There is still only one woman minister and ten women deputy ministers."

"The growing number of female employees in the institutions of the executive branch to a large extent has been caused by the exodus of men from these organizations due to low wages, falling prestige of high-level management and limited opportunities for professional growth, says the report. In addition, it could be stated with some reservations that the high percentage of women in a governmental institution is a sign of its low status in the process of strategic decision making."

"Women representation in the leadership of political parties averages no more than 8 percent. The worst gender imbalance is observed within the Belarusian Popular Front, with women representing approximately one-half of rank-and-file members but only 2 percent of the party's leaders. The best gender balance is observed in the United Civic Party, with 15 percent of women members and 12 percent of women in the party's leadership."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 97; Tuesday, November 23, 1999; 3:10 p.m.

Article: Newspaper for Women Established in Belarus

"The Belarusian Women's Information and Coordinating Center (BWICC) has put out the first issue of its bimonthly Zhensky Vzglyad (Women's Look), the first political newspaper for women in Belarus. The BWICC hopes that the newspaper will help its readers find solutions to their everyday problems and improve their life."

"The BWICC is headed by Svetlana Bestuzheva. The center was established by the country's leading women's organizations, including the Belarusian Association of Young Christian Women, the All-Belarusian Women's League, the Belarusian Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization 'Children's Diabetes,' the Belarusian Organization of Working Women, the St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk All-Belarusian Women's Foundation, the Belarusian Women's Union, the Belarusian Association of Female Lawyers, the Belarusian Association for Disabled Children. The founders also included Mariya Karpenko, editor-in-chief of the magazine Alesya."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 96; Tuesday, June 22, 1999; 6:40 p.m.

Article: Delegation of Belarusian Women Visits Germany

"Representatives of several Belarusian women's organisations, including the Women's Christian Democratic Movement, the Association of Young Christian Women, the non-state women's institute "Envila" and the film studio "Tatyana", have visited Germany."

"The visit was organised by the International Educational Centre in Minsk (IBB-Minsk) and IBB-Dortmund with the assistance of the Minsk-based Women's Educational and Advisory Centre (WEAC). The delegation also included journalists, political analysts, and sociologists involved in WEAC programmes."

"Members of the delegation familiarised themselves with German women's organisations, established contacts with some of them, and met with female politicians of different levels. They also discussed the situation in Belarus and other issues with Leni Fischer, chairwoman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 11; Thursday, September 3, 1998; 5:30 p.m.

Article: Club of Business Women to be Established in Belarus

"According to Tatyana Mironova, director of the Tsentr-XXI Vek -- Centre for Support of Enterprise, a Club of Business Women is to be established in Belarus in the autumn of 1998, 'to say its word about women's place in business.' "

"The club is to be established by the Minsk Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers with the assistance of the the Tsentr-XXI Vek Centre. Ms Mironova expressed hope that the club would unite the female heads of the Minsk-based Milavitsa company, the Borisov-based Lyuserzh toy company and other Belarusian enterprises which are directed by women."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 91; Tuesday, July 28, 1998; 3:00 p.m.

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