"Women’s status in society has become the standard by which humanity’s progress toward civility and peace can be measured"
Mahnaz Afkhami
Gender Equality is a principle that states that all men and women need to be treated equally and to have the same rights despite their biological differences. These should not prevent them from having the same opportunities to succeed in school and in life.
05 Gender Equality
Ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, it’s crucial for sustainable future; it’s proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development.
UNDP has made gender equality central to its work and we’ve seen remarkable progress in the past 20 years. There are more girls in school now compared to 15 years ago, and most regions have reached gender parity in primary education.
But although there are more women than ever in the labour market, there are still large inequalities in some regions, with women systematically denied the same work rights as men. Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office all remain huge barriers. Climate change and disasters continue to have a disproportionate effect on women and children, as do conflict and migration.
It is vital to give women equal rights land and property, sexual and reproductive health, and to technology and the internet. Today there are more women in public office than ever before, but encouraging more women leaders will help achieve greater gender equality.
Why Does SDG 5 Matter
SDG 5 Gender Equality
77 cents
Women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men get for the same work.
1 in 3
35 percent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
13%
Women represent just 13 percent of agricultural landholders.
750 million
Almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday.
2 of 3
Two thirds of developing countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.
24%
Only 24 percent of national parliamentarians were women as of November 2018, a small increase from 11.3 percent in 1995.
SDG 5 Explained
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Website: UN Sustainable Development Goals
This website provides facts, targets, printouts, links and related stories and videos about SDG 5 - Gender Equality.
While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including equal access to primary education between girls and boys), women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Unfortunately, at the current time, 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15-49 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period and 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence. Progress is occurring regarding harmful practices such as child marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), which has declined by 30% in the past decade, but there is still much work to be done to completely eliminate such practices.
Website: SDG Goal Tracker
SDG 5 Targets
This website provides facts, targets, and related stories about programmes contributing to SDG 5 - Gender Equality.
5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
