Armenia

Armenia Country Gender Assessmentneed to be improved and collaboration strengthened around specific policy issues. 80 Thereare, however, a few examples of solidarity among women’s NGOs: for instance, a diversegroup of organizations has united to conduct collective actions to address domesticviolence. In 2010, seven organizations formed the Coalition to Stop Violence againstWomen.76. Women’s civil society work does not appear to have any particular connectionto political participation or formal policy making. Women’s NGOs themselves considertheir “weak access to government and weak bargaining power vis-à-vis government” ascritical deficits of their organizations. 81 Additionally, women do not transition from NGOsto political office. Perceptions, of the role of both women and of civil society institutionsin Armenia, partially explain this situation. When women choose to work for NGOs, they“reaffirm the ascribed gender roles and gender-based divisions of labor and avoid thecriticisms that they would face if they enter political parties or government, but [they] arestill able to work in and through the public sector to achieve their personal and communityobjectives.” 8277. One interviewee noted that young women leaders (both in civil society andinternational organizations) could be the next generation of political leaders since they areambitious and have a following both in Yerevan and the regions, in part thanks to socialmedia. However, the question was raised about how successful such women activists couldbe in transitioning into the government in its current form. They are frequently stigmatizedand accused of taking grants from donors to advance “Western notions” of gender that areincompatible with “traditional” gender roles in Armenia. While organizations that are seenas oppositional (e.g., they critique local elections, speak out about human rights violations,or call for compliance with international standards) are generally criticized for being“Western funded,” 83 the accusations leveled at women’s NGOs is especially disruptive totheir work. The “public notion that gender equality and women’s rights destroy nationalvalues and the strength of the ‘traditional Armenian family’…is more pronounced indifferent regions and rural locations, but also exists in Yerevan, where resistance to genderequality and rights discourse is deeply entrenched.’” 8478. Still, women’s role in NGOs should not be discounted. In communities, activewomen are much more likely to join NGOs than local administrations, and it is suggestedthat encouraging such women to be active both in civil society and in local governancewill yield positive results. Such NGO activists “are a potential human resource for the localadministration.” 85C. Economic Opportunities for Women and Men79. Disparities between the economic opportunities afforded to women and mencontribute to continued gender inequality in Armenia. The government’s gender policy80 Armenian Survey of Women’s Organizations, p. 8.81 Ibid., p. 7.82 Gendered Transitions: The Impact of the Post-Soviet Transition on Women in Central Asia and the Caucasus, p. 487.83 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center. 2011. Risks and Opportunities for the NGO Sector in Armenia. Yerevan. p. 9.84 Exploring Women’s Rights and Feminist Movement Building in Armenia: Learning from the Past and Strategizing for the Future, p. 5.85 Women in Local Administration in Armenia, p. 43.22