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Gender inequity and inequality continue to impinge upon girls’ and women’s ability to realize their rights and their full potential as citizens and equal partners in the development of their communities, despite notable gains for women globally in the last few decades. While a variety of legal instruments commits the international community and individual states to
uphold women’s rights, the commitments made internationally are not adequately acknowledged in national laws or practice.

Important questions surrounding citizenship and women’s rights confront the development field. What are the different mechanisms of exclusion that consign groups within a society to the status of lesser citizens or of noncitizens? How are women’s rights to be translated into reality?

IDRC launched the Women’s Rights and Citizenship (WRC) program in April 2006. WRC is a global program with activities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Its goal is to support research that focuses on the needs of poor and marginalized women, using empowering research methodologies and engaging meaningfully in policy debates.

To read the full brochure (in pdf format) click on the link below:

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