Commissioned Report: Gender Stereotyping as a Human Rights Violation

"Wrongful gender stereotyping is a pervasive human rights violation. As this report shows, it is a frequent cause of discrimination against women and a contributing factor in violations of rights ranging from the right to an adequate standard of living through to the freedom from gender-based violence. Yet, despite the substantial harm they have caused, gender stereotypes and gender stereotyping are often misunderstood in human rights discourses. It is significant, for instance, that gender stereotyping is regularly overlooked as the cause of human rights violations, gender stereotypes are frequently misidentified, if they are identified at all, and there is little in-depth discussion of the myriad ways in which gender stereotypes and gender stereotyping harm women. Moreover, there is surprisingly limited awareness of the full extent and breath of international human rights obligations related to stereotypes and stereotyping, with much of the focus to date limited only to the obligations enumerated in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This is in spite of the fact that it is not the only international human rights treaty to impose obligations related to stereotypes and stereotyping. It is also in spite of the fact that many of the human rights treaty bodies have recognized that the rights to non-discrimination and equality – and through them, other rights and freedoms – contain an implied obligation to address harmful stereotypes and wrongful stereotyping."