In Armenia women's rights are protected by both national legislation and international treaties ratified by Armenia.

Armenia is a member of numerous international treaties aimed at protection of women's rights (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women; Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms  of Discrimination against Women; Convention on the Political Rights of Women; Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime).

Council of Women's Issues under the Prime Minister of Armenia was founded by the order of the Prime Minister in 2000, the main purpose of which is the coordination of the work aimed at solving problems of women and the insurance of gender equality[1].

National Plan for the Improvement of the Situation of Women and Enhancement of their Role in the Society has been enacted since 2004. The national Plan defines the principles, priorities and main directions of the state policy towards the solution of women's problems, and aimed to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for men and women.

Armenia chairs the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2010and 2011.

According to the National report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council by Armenia on 17^th of February 2010, in 2009 a Concept Paper on Gender Equality for 2010-2014 was developed with direct participation of non-governmental organizations and was submitted to the Government of the Republic of Armenia[2] that was approved in February 2010.

However, the action plan that should have been developed until August 2010 was not done[3]. According to the same report a law on Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women was in the process of drafting.[4]

The report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (Armenia) states that RA Government was in the process of drafting a law on Domestic Violence[5]; however, such a draft has not been discussed at the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia yet.

On the 30^th of March an Interdepartmental Commission on Fight against Gender Violence was created upon the decision of RA Prime Minister to improve the effectiveness of programs aimed at preventing gender violence as well as to create mechanisms of data collection and conversion and, to draft a National Plan against Gender Violence[6].

Though de juro men and women have equal rights, which is stated explicitly in RA Constitution, de facto women's options are limited. This is also stated by the Government of Armenia.[7] Women are underrepresented in legislative body and are mainly out of decision making system as well as form governmental and self-governmental bodies, in spite of the fact that female constitute 60% of people who have higher education in Armenia. [8]

Unemployment among economically active women of 30-39 years old is more than 60% and proportion of officially registered unemployed female is 70%. The role of women in business is also significantly lower than that of men. Only 10.3% of employers are female[9]. Gender disbalance is also present in local self-governmental bodies. According to the report of European Neighbourhood Policy, there is no women who holds the position of a mayor or a vice-mayor out of 48 positions[10]. 

Only 9.2% of RA National Assembly (NA) deputies are female, moreover, women are included in five NA commissions out of 12[11]. To improve the situation in the political field amendments were made in the RA Electoral Code raising the percentage of mandatory female participation in a party's (party alliance's) electoral list for National Assembly elections under proportional system from 5% to 15%; moreover, at least every tenth person in a list shall be a woman.[12]

According to Article 108 of the new Draft Law on Amendments of Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia (Nomination of candidates for deputies to the National Assembly under the proportional electoral system) the percentage of nominees of the same gender should not exceed 80% in each integer group of five candidates (11-15, 11-20, 11-25[etc.]) in the electoral list of a political party for the elections to the National Assembly under the proportional electoral system.

Though, it should be mentioned that CEDAW suggested to guarantee at least 20% of parliamentary seats for women, but not 20% in the electoral list of a political party for the NA elections under the proportional electoral system.

According to ENP report 23 organisations suggested to make amendments in the RA Electoral Code to guarantee that NA deputies of the same gander shall not surpass 70% of overall NA seats, or to define that one out of three deputies should be a woman. A similar suggestion was announced by EU Parliamentary Assembly in 1899 Recommendation in 2010, that not only suggested to determine a minimum quota for female representation at parliaments (it is proposed to have 40% quota for women), but also implement so called "zipper system" to alternate male and female candidates.

One of the main problems for women in Armenia nowadays is domestic violence. Results of a survey conducted by the United Nations Population Fund in the frames of "Combating Gender Based Violence in South Caucasus" project illustrates that quarter of the pollees'  were subjected to physical violence, while 3.3% were subjected to sexual violence and 10% to both sexual and physical violence.

The percentage of women subjected to psychological violence reaches 25%. The results of the survey shows also that most widespread violence against women is controlling behavior that is over 60%[13]. Women are very often subjected to economical violence. According to this survey, 7.4% of women refused to work as their husbands were against it and 8.7% of the respondents mentioned that husbands took their wages against their will.

It should be noticed that 60.9% of the female respondents who were married did not work. A similar, but anonymous survey was conducted by "Armavir Development Center" NGO in November-December, 2009 that demonstrates that about 68% of the respondent women were ever subjected to psychological violence and 38% to that of physical. 76% of the women subjected to physical violence did not address for help.

There is no law on domestic violence in Armenia. Cases of domestic violence are regulated by RA Criminal Code. Many international organizations recommend Armenia to adopt a law against domestic violence as well as a law on equal rights and opportunities for men and women.[14]

With the efforts of numerous NGOs, the case of Zaruhi Petrosyan made a great resonance. According to the relatives, the young woman was subjected to violence over months by her husband and mother-in-law. Zaruhi Petrosyan died in a hospital on the 1^st of October in the result of her husband's cruel beating. This case became a subject of public discussions underlining the importance of fight against domestic violence.

[1] Charter of the Council of Women under the Prime Minister of Armenia, p.1 available at: http://www.gov.am/files/councils/5.pdf 

[2] UN Human Rights Council, National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 : [Universal Periodic Review] : Armenia, 17 February 2010, A/HRC/WG.6/8/ARM/1, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4bfb9f652.html [accessed 8 June 2011]

[3] Open Society Foundations - Armenia Armenia's ENP Implementation  in 2010, November, 2010

[4] There is no such an enacted law as of 07of June 2011

[5] UN Human Rights Council Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review -Armenia[Universal Periodic Review],para. 17 6 July 2010, A/HRC/WG.6/8./L.8

[6] Decision N 213-Ա of RA Prime Minister dated 30 of March 2010

[7] UN Human Rights Council, National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 : [Universal Periodic Review] : Armenia, 17 February 2010, A/HRC/WG.6/8/ARM/1, para. 100 available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4bfb9f652.html [accessed 8 June 2011]

[8]Open Society Foundations - Armenia Armenia's ENP Implementation  in 2010, November, 2010

[9] Idib

[10] Idib

[11] Idib

[12] Article 10.2 of the RA Electoral Code

[13] United Nations Population Fund, National Statistical Service of RA "Nationwide Survey on Domestic Violence Against Women in Armenia 2008‐2009" Executive Summary, YEREVAN 2010, available at: http://www.genderbasedviolence.am/conimages/DV_Executive_Summary_Engl.pdf

[14] Council of Europe (within the framework of European Neighbourhood Policy), CEDAW, number of UN member countries, Amnesty International,  are among these organizations.