Women acquired knowledge and experience in working with the United Nations and in learning how to caucus and lobby effectively to get their ideas translated into decisions. These insights are central to how we envision our work in the 21 st century and to the way in which we will be tackling the principal challenges to the achievement of gender equality. The globalization process has caused policy shifts in favour of more open trade and financial flows, privatization of state-owned enterprises and lower public spending. Globalization has brought greater economic opportunities and autonomy to some women, while others have become more vulnerable. Science and technology are transforming patterns of production, creating new jobs and ways of working, and contributing to the establishment of a knowledge-based society.
Technological change brings new opportunities.
But millions of the world's poorest women still do not have access to these facilities and are at risk of becoming part of the digital divide and excluded from the opportunities it presents, thus becoming even further marginalized. Demographic trends, including increased life expectancy and lower mortality rates, have contributed to the ageing of the population. Given the gap between male and female life expectancy, the number of widows and older single women has increased considerably almost everywhere. The burden of care for people living with HIV, including orphans, particularly in Africa falls on women, mainly elderly women as state infrastructures are inadequate to respond to the challenges being posed. The changing context of gender relations, as well as the discussion on gender equality and right to sexual and reproductive health, has led to increased reassessment of gender roles.