The human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable，integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of women in political，civil，economic，social and cultural life，at the national，regional and international levels，and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community.

—Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.1609626

Nowhere is the indivisibility of civil and political rights and economic and social rights more evident than in relation to the human rights of women. The task of ensuring human rights for women is incomprehensible without taking into account the social and economic conditions that characterise women’s lives around the world.1609627 Women are the majority of the world’s poor and the number of women living in rural poverty has increased by 50 per cent since 1975.1609628 In every country in the world，women are poorer than men，and their poverty and economic inequality affects every aspect of their lives—their basic survival and the survival of their children，their access to food and housing，their ability to escape from violence，their health，their access to education and literacy，their ability to participate in public life，their ability to influence and participate in decisions that affect them.1609629

In general，international human rights instruments protect the rights which men fear will be violated （protection for men within their public life），and pre-eminence was afforded to civil and political rights.1609630 Invariably，women have been assigned to the private or domestic sphere，as men historically have both dominated public life and exercised the power to confine and subordinate women within the private sphere.1609631 Economic and social rights，which affect life in the private sphere，have not been afforded the same importance，despite the situation that for many women，their right to a fair trial or freedom to manifest their religion or beliefs are secondary to their desire for clean drinking water，adequate nutrition or primary education for themselves or their daughters.1609632 The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women （CEDAW） recognises that despite legal rights being granted to women in many countries，discrimination persists，and women’s access to legal rights are curtailed by denial of women’s right to economic and social development. Founded on the principles of equality and non-discrimination，CEDAW straddles the traditional boundaries between civil and political and socio-economic rights.