Gender-Based Abortions: Armenia and Azerbaijan Stand at the Same Place - Research

According to a report by the Georgetown Institute that studies the status of women, Armenia made progress in 2019, as reported by "Voice of America." The annual research conducted by the Georgetown Institute on Women, Peace, and Security evaluates the status of women in all countries in terms of societal participation, equal rights, and security.

According to the study, Armenia has managed to more than double women's presence in parliament following the recent parliamentary elections, increasing it from 10% to 24%. Additionally, financial literacy programs initiated in rural areas of Armenia since 2016 have also contributed to increasing women's engagement in the country's financial and economic sector in 2019. However, despite the law providing equal opportunities for men and women, financial institutions often refuse to grant loans to female farmers.

Another significant issue regarding women's status and rights in Armenia is the problem of sex-selective abortions. In terms of the number of abortions being carried out after determining the sex of the fetus, Armenia and Azerbaijan share the second-to-last place in the world, only ahead of China. In neighboring Georgia, Iran, and Turkey, the situation is considerably better.

The research indicates that the progress achieved in women’s status in Armenia in 2019 is insufficient across several other indicators. According to the Georgetown Institute's annual report-research on Women, Peace, and Security, Armenia managed to achieve progress by 18 points, moving from the 100th position in 2018 to the 82nd position among 167 countries.

The report examines indicators evaluating women’s access to education and employment, accessibility of communication and financial resources, representation in governance, presence of discriminatory laws and social norms against women, as well as women's protection from various forms of violence.

The report states that not only European countries but also many in Asia and Africa outrank Armenia. The top three are Norway, Switzerland, and Finland; Germany ranks 17th, the United States 19th, Kazakhstan 43rd, Georgia 46th, and the Russian Federation 51st. Countries such as Turkmenistan, Namibia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and China also fare better than Armenia. Conditions are worse than in Armenia in Uzbekistan, Kenya, Ukraine, Mexico, Azerbaijan, and several dozen other countries. The last places, 165-167, are occupied by Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

Rigid discriminatory norms within Armenian society are also slowly changing. According to a survey conducted in 2016, 17% of adult Armenian men believe that it is unacceptable for a woman to go to work. In comparison, this figure is 0% in Canada, 1% in the US and Italy, and 7% in Zimbabwe, Peru, and Ghana. The situation is particularly dire in Libya, Bangladesh, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen, where more than half of men believe that women should be prohibited from going to work.