A Better World Volume 1

[

] 73

Gender balance and empowerment

of women in Azerbaijan

Professor Hijran Huseynova, Chairperson of the State Committee for

Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

he twenty-first century has become a time of new

opportunities, new thinking and rapid development

for women. Women of the world have passed through

a long struggle to achieve success and promote their rights.

Azerbaijan does not stand beyond these processes. The first

secular school for girls in the Eastern world was opened in

Azerbaijan during the period of oil ‘renaissance’ in 1901.

Suffrage for women was introduced in 1918 by the Azerbaijan

Democratic Republic, thus making Azerbaijan the first Muslim

country where women got equal political rights with men.

The position of Azerbaijani women in society, social life and

family has changed dramatically. Azerbaijani women have

always demonstrated strong will, courage, purity and devo-

tion and have played a special role in the life of our society,

and in the formation of our national and moral values.

The period of the collapse of the totalitarian system and the

gaining of independence in very difficult conditions in the

1990s set new duties and obligations for Azerbaijani women.

The formation of a market economy and reforms in differ-

ent spheres demanded new responsibilities and a further

increase of women’s role in society. Enormous strides have

been made for the establishment of favourable conditions for

women and the promotion of gender balance in economic

and social policy. The participation of Azerbaijani women

at the Fourth World Conference on Women and joining the

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action can be considered

as a turning point of the women’s movement in Azerbaijan.

The ratification of the United Nations Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by

the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1995 became the next progres-

sive step towards the advancement of women.

Image: State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The first secular school for girls in the Muslim East, opened in Azerbaijan in 1901

ender

quality

and

omen

’

mpowerment