By Ayya Lmahamad

Women’s Rights is an extremely ethical topic that is surrounded by ethical theories and has a lot of history. 

Rights are declarations that allow people to live their lives with freedom equality and justice. Rights allow people to live freely without discrimination and dictatorship over the choices they make.

With the adoption of the Independence Declaration on May 28, 1918, an Azerbaijani woman received the right to participate in the elections of people's representatives - the right to elect and be elected. Thus, Azerbaijan became the first Muslim country to grant this right to women.

The foundation was laid for the transformation of a woman into an active member of a democratic society.

After that, the country experienced a half of a century of Soviet rule, which preserved women’s suffrage and also established state regulations to ensure representative equality.

The courage, dedication and heroism inherent in an Azerbaijani woman were most fully manifested during the Second World War - both at the front and in the rear.

Especially widely the role of the Azerbaijani woman in society revealed with the arrival of national leader Heydar Aliyev to the leadership of Azerbaijan, both in the Soviet period and after the restoration of the state’s independence by the republic.

Legal aspect

Azerbaijan has joined a number of international organizations, adopted conventions and protocols, and improved the topic of women’s rights in national legislation.

In December 1979, a major step was taken in the field of equal rights for men and women. It was on that day that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Convention declared legal equality for women in all spheres - political, economic, social, cultural and civil - regardless of their marital status.

Azerbaijan acceded to the Convention and reaffirmed its support for the ideas of equality and democracy by assuming its obligations under the Convention in July 1995.

Azerbaijan also ratified the International Labor Organization’s Law on Women’s Labor in Underground Work, and Equal Rights for Men and Women for Equal Labor, Conventions on the Protection of Motherhood, on Discrimination in Labor and Employment, and on the Citizenship of Married Women.

At the 4th World Women’s Conference held in 1995, Azerbaijan, like 189 countries around the world, adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the main goal of which is to improve the political, economic and social situation of women.

In 1998, the decree on Enhancing the Role of Women in Azerbaijan was signed and the State Committee for Women’s Issues was established.

At the same time, the decree on the Implementation of the State Women’s Policy in Azerbaijan, signed in 2000, led to the further strengthening of women’s policy in the country.

Women’s rights are also enshrined in a number of codes and state programs.

Statistics

Currently, women are represented in almost all the leading spheres of Azerbaijani society, and in some cases occupy leading positions. Some 48.2 percent of women actively participate in the social and economic life of the country.

As of 2020, women account for 80.7 percent of teachers in general education schools, as well as for 78.9 percent of teachers in specialized secondary schools, for 54.7 percent of teachers in universities, and for 48.8 percent of university students.

In addition, 66 percent of doctors and 64.9 percent of judges in the country are women.

Women constitute 58.2 percent of the total number of researchers in Azerbaijan. The number of women, who received PhD degrees has increased by 2.5 times for the last 10 years, and the number of those, who have a PhD degree in philosophy has increased by 2.2 times. At the same time, women make up 28.5 percent of government officials, 21.7 percent of entrepreneurs, and 42.6 percent of athletes.

Some 16 percent of the deputies of the Parliament, including the Speaker, are also women.

Azerbaijan also cooperates and implements various programs, to ensure women’s rights, with different international institutions, especially with UNDP.

Protection of women’s rights and expansion of all opportunities created for them are included in the priorities set by the Azerbaijani president in the state policy.