Summary of what we learned from each country
1. Nigeria- The states with the greatest improvements in women's rights had an indigenous women's movement as well as elite women leaders. In addition, specific cultural characteristics such as ethnicity and religion point to the importance of cultural attitudes. A hopeful point is that although Islamic states were more likely to have bad women's rights, one Islamic state was actually among the most progressive in Nigeria. This points to the ability to change cultural feelings without removing indigenous institutions.
2. Cuba- They have a surprisingly good women's rights record. Castro has created a number of institutions and programs to promote gender equality in an effort to increase Cuba's labor force. One of the most effective ways Cuba increased women's rights was by making programs that take into account economic and social aspects. In addition, Cuba had a strong cultural affinity towards women's rights as even before the Revolution their women's rights record was among the best in Latin America.
3. The Dominican Republic- The government has created a number of laws, and created social institutions to push women's rights, however women's rights are still weak in a number of areas. These laws have not been as successful they would have hoped because they did not take into the account the social and cultural aspects of gender in the Dominican Republic. Barriers to success include a "political-cultural complex that is faced with the problems of a patriarchal vision of justice on the bench, insufficient levels of gender training and a lack of correspondence between and with the other elements." Because of masochism and staffs with skewed gender-views the institutions and laws were not effective, and the Dominican Republic is now trying to add educational elements that will help change cultural views on gender.
Haiti:
-Approach law from a broad sense. Legislative law should be accompanied by laws (funded possibly by the donations for Earthquake relief) that seek social and economic incentives for Women's Rights initiatives such as child care centers and maternity leave. These economically enticing laws will combat women's rights from a stance that is mutually beneficial (or at least not malefic) to all parties. Combating social norms indirectly and substantially changes culture while not challenging culture head-on, but through programs whose mutually beneficial nature will spread easily.
-Approach law (at least initially) from a public perspective, as change happens easier there initially than in the household. Laws that encourage women to leave the house, get skilled jobs et. al. are focused outside the family, while laws encouraging shared labor at the home should be left for a later time.
-Approach law from the reference of all involved. In the wake of destruction and scarcity the laws should not be viewed as subordinating men's roles, but rather simply liberating females roles, as men will likely be strongly opposed to changes that increase their labor or decrease their freedom.
-Approach law from a sense that is not viewed as competitive to local custom and culture. Social forums and discussions should work from within cultural conceptions to transform religious and cultural conceptions, not combat them. Women's rights if being held up by traditionalism are best combated from within those thought systems by uncovering doctrines and thoughts that encourage women's equality. Law, after this battle is over, will function much smoother with less opposition.
-Along that line, forced liberal democracies can indirectly suppress the voices of the people if not initially adopted by the whole culture. This can great tension that may build and build as people struggle against opposed parties. Therefore, the ideals of liberal democracies like Women's Rights should be adopted in a manner that does not force and suppress in a general sense. This can lead to mass violence and chaos if left unattended. The voices of the oppressed must be heeded.
-Approach the law in a way that guarantees women's voices in government. Statutes and system that force women to be represented on the local, state, and national level will encourage agendas, laws and educational programs to continue.
-Approach law from a comprensive perspective. We would encourage a model much like that of Rwandas, with strong civil, executive, and legislative powers. Strong, centralized, and symbiotic, this network helps to encourage change from a governmental perspective, civil perspective, and executive perspective providing ample resources for change.
