Ulaanbaatar,
MONGOLIA: Thanks to the vast mineral wealth inside the region, Mongolia is now
showing progress toward the reduction of poverty nationwide.
Men, as well as women and their children, throughout Mongolia are now inline to
receive a boost from the Mongolian economy because of this, but other sectors
inside the nation still need improvement.

Mongolia’s Human Development Index (HDI), a metric that takes into account
health, education and living standards in the region, recently showed figures
that rose at the fastest pace globally recorded from 2000-2010. Ranked 110 out
of 187 countries for 2011, Mongolia is now no longer considered a ‘low on the list’
human development country. It has now risen to the ranks from low to ‘medium’
with global human development benchmarks because of the rise in the region’s
economy.

But according to the latest country report from the UNDP
– United Nations Development Programme, inequality in the region is holding
back some of the progress that can be made. When ‘inequality’ is placed as an
indicator inside the country’s Human Development Index, Mongolia shows a 14
percent loss as gender equality, environmental sustainability and the work to
successfully reach the UN Millennium Development Goals drops. Figures for Mongolia
with gender equality has actually dropped inside the region from 2000-2010.

Empowering women in the region may be a complex issue but advocates are
working to do just that. While gender equality can be mapped through UN
Millennium Goal number 3 through women in politics, women’s education and
women’s economic earnings, statistics show that women have now begun to receive
more education than their male counterparts in the region. Today the push to
educate women and girls is on as male members of the family are often expected
to work in the fields instead of staying in school. Women, on the other hand,
are now going to college 60-70 percent more than men.

But women are still at a disadvantage in the region. Why?

In spite of increases in education, Mongolian women are still earning much
less than their male counterparts. They have also had historically an unsteady
and low political representation inside the region. But the open room for women
in politics is now changing for the better.

Before recent 2012 elections, political representation for women in Mongolia
was 3.9 percent, one of the lowest rates for women in politics charted
globally, outlines the Mongolian Inter-Parliamentary Union. Owing to a
newly-established quota system in the region that is now requireing 20 percent
of the Parliament to be women, 9 women from a diverse group of political
parties were voted into seats in Mongolia’s Parliament in June this year.

This suddenly tripled women’s political leadership with participation in
Mongolia from 4 to 12 percent. Though this current figure represents an
improvement, in some ways it is a ‘regaining of political power’ for women in
the region.

Women as political representatives for their region was also 12 percent 10
years ago, but the numbers of women in office sharply declined by 2008 to 3.9
percent. To reach the Millennium Development Goals for gender equality, 30
percent of the Mongolian government must be made up of women decision makers in
government.

“Women politicians clearly made important gains,” outlined the Asia
Pacific Memo, published by the Institute of Asian Research in July 2012, as
they analyzed the outcome of Mongolia’s recent election.

The UN Millennium Development Goal to empower women is not an easy one
though. The current global average for women in government is now only 19.7
percent.

Ten Years Ago in Mongolia

“It was always hard for women to come out [politically],” reminds newly
elected woman Member of Parliament (MP) Ms. Luvsan Erdenechimeg of the
Democratic Party in Mongolia. “Men would say ‘Nine women is a nightmare!’ It
was not so good then for women — we were dependent on men. [Now] we are more
independent, we can say everything. We can have our own ideas and plans.
Before, we were like satellites,” she continued.

Sharing the years of struggle and experience with MP Ms. Tsedevdamba Oyungerel,
who is also from Mongolia’s Democratic Party, Erdenechimeg charted the tenacity
and efforts of women in public office and human rights activism. “She
[Oyungerel] was fighting for 20 years. The 2nd time and 3rd time she lost [a
Parliament bid] but now, she won,” outlined Erdenechimeg who lost her own bid
for the Parliament, before the most recent vote pushed her in.

MP Oyungerel agreed. “Oh, it’s improved a lot. The mentality of the people
has improved. Before it was, ‘what are you doing in politics?’ You were a
helper only, but now you are seen as a decision maker, especially in my party.”

The Democratic Party in Mongolia now has 5 women in parliament, the highest
number of any political party in the region.

After winning Parliamentary seats in the most recent Mongolian election, the
9 women winners, who are representing the Democratic Party, Mongolian People’s
Party, Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party and the Civil Will Green Party,
decided to form an informal political group called the Women’s Caucus in late
July. MP Erdenechimeg was chosen as the representative for the first year.

The women’s decision to form the Caucus is based on consolidating a vision
of shared ideas and values, and also as a means of connecting with civil
society, said the Caucus during a recent press conference in late July 2012.

MP Erdenechimeg explained that although they come from different political
parties, all members of the Women’s Caucus did experience difficulties in
politics and can relate to each other as being “independent, fighting [for]
women’s rights, children’s’ rights.”

The issues the women MPs are now hoping to improve as they dive into action
include: creating more public hospitals that can serve women and their
families, expanding educational programs by building new schools, helping to
bring greater economic success and freedom to women and tightening down on
political corruption inside Mongolia.

The New Women’s Caucus

On the behalf of the Women’s Caucus, MP Erdenechimeg visited all the
maternity hospitals in her region in Ulaanbaatar to research the needs. 
Erdenechimeg’s district surprisingly has only one hospital with 75 beds, which
serves the health needs for over a quarter million people.
When Erdenechimeg herself was pregnant and went into maternal labour she
went to the hospital in Ulaanbaatar, only to be turned away and told to go home
for four or five hours as there were no hospital beds available.

Today it is estimated that half the women that come to the hospital
in Erdenechimeg’s district are turned away when they need medical
attention the most, at the moment they are due to deliver their baby. Although
improvements are being made throughout the region through the increased use of
medical technology a deepening concern for Mongolia’s expanding population, due
to immigration, is what MP Erdenechimeg conveys is ‘an urgent’ issue.

Michelle Tolson – WNN MDG Stories

(WNN/UBP)