Gender inequality in Honduras
Comparing numbers from the 2011 and 2019 United Nations Human Development Reports helps to understand how gender inequality has been trending in Honduras.
As children, boys are free to run around unclothed, play without supervision, are less often disciplined for unfavorable behaviors, and enjoy greater freedom overall.
However, the drop in ranking shows that Honduras is not making strides towards gender equality on the same scale as other countries that moved ahead.
Reproductive health is usually gauged in terms of the maternal mortality rate, which is the number of mothers per 100,000 who die from pregnancy-related causes.
[2] Many of these deaths come as a result of lack of adequate healthcare and illegally performed abortions which leave the women at great risk for infection.
Although, according to Sister Namibia, "the sale of young girls and women into prostitution slavery plays a major role in the transmission of AIDS among heterosexual couples.
The most recent statistics from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), states that the total fertility rate in Honduras is 2.33 children born/woman (2024 est.).
[9] Inequalities in availability are present when some women may not be able to afford condoms or do not have the freedom to purchase them because of their partner or parents control on their sexual health.
Additionally, the Honduran Supreme Court banned the use of emergency contraceptives in 2012, making the unlawful administering or receiving of it punishable in the same way as abortion.
[9] Although, according to data collected by The International Federation of Planned Parenthood, since signing this declaration Honduras has only progress by 51% in their efforts of "prevention through education."
[13] This response suggests that the root of the gender inequality issue in Honduras is the idea of patriarchy being the only way to operate and that women should always be the followers and caregivers, but not the decision makers.
[citation needed] Economic activity in the GII is based on only one statistic: the proportion of females compared to males in the labor force.
[citation needed] There has been a recent wave of immigration consisting mostly of young women moving from rural to urban areas in order to find work.
[1] According to Sister Namibia this has resulted in "rapid urban growth in recent years has spawned various social problems, including unemployment, lack of adequate housing and basic services, all of which affect women most severely.
[1] This slow transition for women from unpaid to paid labor is a step in the right direction, but there is still much to be done in the battle for equal pay, jobs, and treatment.
They do not, however, have the assets necessary to gain physical mobility through the means of owning a car or bicycle, check email, or cultivate a field, while the men do.
The sought-after, well-paying jobs are commonly associated with masculinity in Honduras, including heavy manual labor, technical work, and anything that requires extensive training or an advanced degree.
[10] The main reason that girls are pulled out of school in the first place is usually to help in the family, leading to differences in educational attainment.
Understandably, sexual violence involves exploitation and abuse and is related "to any act, attempt, or threat that results in physical and emotional harm".
The violence against women in Honduras is a result of gender norms, poverty, militarization, drug trafficking, gangs, and inequality.
[4] The current Constitution of Honduras enshrines gender equality: art 60 reads: "Any discrimination on grounds of sex, race, class and any other injuries to human dignity are declared punishable".
(Se declara punible toda discriminación por motivo de sexo, raza, clase y cualquier otra lesiva a la dignidad humana).
Personal interviews and anecdotal evidence reveal that women suffer from significant emotional distress as their loved ones embark on often dangerous journeys.
Typically, the men who migrate must stay away and work for several years in order to make enough money to adequately provide for the survival of their family members remaining in Honduras.
[47] Not only do the women left behind in Honduras have to deal with emotional (and sometimes physical) strain, but they have more tasks to complete once their male family members migrate.
[47] There are several other ways in which already strongly prevalent gender inequalities in Honduras are exacerbated by the migration of males to countries such as the United States.
These "coyotes" require an incredibly large fee: thus, the women left at home become the managers of their husband or other male relative's debt.
One notable cause of the increased violence and subsequent migration of women and children is the long history of impunity of gang members in Honduras.
When people in Honduras do report these crimes, them and their families are often subjected to further gang violence, which the police and government are largely powerless to prevent.
Women take contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy in case of rape while they migrate, demonstrating the dangers they face and their desperation driving them to escape the violence in their home country.
