Armenia

Armenia Country Gender Assessmentsome projects aim to provide women with skills in income generation or business start-upsas a means to raise their status and give them a voice in other areas such as communitydevelopment, politics, or peacebuilding. More than one speaker expressed the view thatpurely economic programs, without attention to social issues, are not sustainable. Projectson women’s economic empowerment are effective when framed within larger initiativesthat address women’s personal growth and aim to improve their status in the family and insociety.202. Both self-employment and entrepreneurship have been proposed as viablemeans to assist people with disabilities (PWDs) to become economically independent.Unfortunately, there is little information about the gender-specific opportunities orconstraints PWDs face in starting or running a business. Studies do suggest, however, thatthe obstacles that men and women generally face are magnified for PWDs. A regionalsurvey found that men with disabilities are more likely than women with disabilities tostart their own businesses in Armenia, but that women with disabilities are likely to engagein entrepreneurship in the informal economy, producing handmade goods for sale orselling goods for other people.” 270 In a survey of PWDs, male respondents expressed morewillingness to start their own business than female respondents (of 26 men, 15 expressedsuch an interest, while of 23 women, only 9 were inclined to start a business). 271 Whenasked about the role gender might play in starting a business, responses were inconclusive,with most respondents citing common obstacles such as high taxes, interest rates, andcorruption. Notably, a male respondent stated that male PWD entrepreneurs wouldface greater obstacles due to competition with other men, “because there are moreentrepreneurs among them and they are more active than women.” This view actuallylends support for the theory that women with disabilities face even greater hurdles tostarting a business and are thus barely represented in the field. A female respondenthighlighted the additional discrimination women with disabilities face: “as women, they donot inspire particular confidence as counterparts in business.” 272B. Gender Issues Related to Water Supply and Municipal Services203. Armenia has abundant water, sufficient for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use.Almost all urban and rural residents have access to noncontaminated drinking waterthat is primarily supplied from groundwater or springs and only requires chlorination ordisinfection.204. Estimated use of improved water sources presented only a partial picture of thewater supply that is available to the population (Table 8). Despite an abundance of water,not all needs are being met, and a significant proportion of the population has access todrinking water for only a few hours a day. 273 “In some villages, water is supplied withoutdisinfection once every 3–4 days.” 274 In remote regions, access to water is limited to twice a270 S. Phillips. 2012. Women with Disabilities in the Europe and Eurasia Region. Washington, DC: USAID. p. 18.271 Employment of People with Disabilities in Armenia: Needs and Barriers: Report on Qualitative Study Findings, p. 86.272 Ibid., p. 93.273 A. Gharabegian. 2013. Water Issues in Armenia. The Armenian Weekly. 10 May. http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/05/10/gharabegian-water-issues-in-armenia/274 ADB. 2011. Armenia Water Supply and Sanitation: Challenges, Achievements and Future Directions. Manila: ADB. p. 20.60