Carol, who works with an advocacy group, also has stories to tell of increasing violence in her society. We all agree the world we live in is an unsafe place for women. And yet we have traveled half across the globe, to share our experiences and, perhaps, create a new society. Official delegates in formal attire rub shoulders with the colorful NGO women from all over the world. The New York Police Department is out in force, directing traffic, trying to keep order among the thousands lined up in long queues, five abreast, waiting for a pass to get in.
Women earn less, are more often unemployed and generally are poorer than men.
Women's work is still largely part-time, informal, unregulated and unstable. The fact that they have productive as well as reproductive roles is still all too rarely recognized. The start of the official conference has suddenly changed the mood and tone of the activities going on in the UN building. The whole of the last week, hectic parleys were going on between government representatives to arrive at a consensus document that the conference can ratify. Meanwhile, on a different level, NGO meetings were also being held.